
Anderson County 

Economic and Social 


OLIN D. JOHNSTON 
FRANK T. MEEKS 
L. B. COX 
A. M. BOWEN 


University of South Carolina 
Columbia, S. C. 


Bulletin University of South Carolina—Issued Semi-Monthly 
No. 126. July 15, 1923. Second Class Mail Matter. 









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ANDERSON COUNTY 

Economic and Social 



-By- 

OLIN D. JOHNSTON 
FRANK *P. MEEKS 
L. B. COX 
— and— 

A M. BOWEN 


A Laboratory Study in the Department of Rural Social Science 

of the University of South Carolina 

^ C-olu-mt-Ka 

JULY 15, 1923 













LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

RECEIVED 




9 1C24 


\ documents division 









* 

*> 








TABLE OF CONTENTS 


Page 

Preface _ 5 

I. Historical Background . 7 

II. Anderson County Towns . 16 

III. Natural Resources _ 34 

IV. Industries „.„.. 40 

V. Facts About the Folks _ 50 

VI. Wealth and Taxation _____ L _____ 56 

VII. Schools __ 68 

VIII. Agriculture -----,- 78 

IX. Balance Sheet in Food and Feed Production.....— 89 

X. Evidences of Progress . 99 


XI. 


Our Problems and Their Solution 


115 















































Main Entrance, Anderson College 


































PREFACE 


This bulletin was prepared as a part of our work as students in 
the University of South Carolina. It was accomplished in the 
Department of Rural Social Science. 

Our endeavor has been to justly appraise the economic and 
social resources of Anderson County, giving tribute when it is 
due, and at the same time calling attention to the shortcomings 
and problems of the county. In the preparation of this study we 
have tried to describe conditions as they exist in our county, 
without imposing upon the reader too long an account of how they 
came to be what they are. We have gathered the inforipation 
from the various sources and grouped it so as to make pleasant 
reading and at the same time convey valuable information. 

In expressing our appreciation of the help given us in the prep¬ 
aration of this bulletin we wish to mention the public spirited men 
and women of the county, too numerous to name individually, who 
so willingly furnished us with information. We also wish to ex¬ 
press our sincere appreciation of the valuable assistance given us 
by Mrs. Louise Ayer Vandiver in preparing the “Historical Back¬ 
ground;” A. P. Fant, the articles on “The Chamber of Commerfce,” 
and “The Anderson Agricultural Fair;” S. M. Byars the ones on 
“Farm Demonstration Agents,” and “Cooperative Marketing;” 
Miss Edith Robertson the account of “Home Demonstration 
Work;” E. C. McCants the one on “The City School System of 
Anderson;” G. H. Geiger the one on “The Anderson Public Libra¬ 
ry;” John E. Wigington the write-up of “The Anderson Rotary 
Club;” Dr. J. O. Sanders the one on the “Lions Club;” Mrs. Dexter 
Brown the account of “The Civic Association;” D. C. Brock that 
of “Townville;” and M. B. Dunlap the one of “Honea Path.” We 
wish to thank Dr. Joe Land, W. Frank McGee, W. C. Austin, 
Mack King, and T. L. Celey for assistance in preparing several 
articles. 

Our thanks are also due R. H. Ramsey, Jr., graduate assistant 
in the Department of Rural Social Science for his helpfulness in 
locating much of the material used in this study. 

We wish especially to acknowledge our obligation to Dr. Wilson 
Gee, Professor of Rural Social Science in the University of South 
Carolina. The publication of this survey would never have been 
possible had it not been for his untiring efforts, unstinted assist¬ 
ance, and cooperation at every step of the work. We wish to take 
this opportunity to thank him for his suggestions, encourage¬ 
ment and criticisms, all during its preparation. 

The expense of publishing and distributing this bulletin was 
borne by the University of South Carolina. 

OLIN D. JOHNSTON, 
FRANK T. MEEKS, 

L. B. COX, 

A. M. BOWEN. 

University of South Carolina, 

April 25, 1923. 













I. 


A BRIEF HISTORY OF ANDERSON COUNTY 


Louise Ayer Vandiver. 


What now constitutes Anderson County was a part of the great 
Cherokee territory which came into the possession of the colonists 
partly by purchase, partly by usurpation, and partly by conquest. 
The final treaty between General Andrew Pickens and the Indians 
was concluded in 1785, under a big oak tree which stood for many 
years in a field a short distance from Cherry’s Crossing on the 
Blue Ridge Railroad. Finally the venerable tree fell under the 
stress of a storm, and now a boulder appropriately engraved 
marks the spot. 

Some pioneers had settled in the section prior to the Revolu¬ 
tionary War, though they were few and scattered. Soon after 
America had won her independence, however, a great wave of 
immigration swept over the northern part of the State. One of 
the original land owners was Isaac Lynch, a man who could not 
write his name. In 1790, he sold 885 acres to commissioners An¬ 
drew Pickens, John Miller, John Wilson, Benjamin Cleveland, 
William Holbert, Henry Clark, John Moffatt, and Robert Ander¬ 
son for the village of Pendleton, which was to be the courthouse 
town of the newly formed district of Pendleton, just divided from 
the old Ninety Six, and called in honor of Judge Henry Pendle¬ 
ton, one of the most distinguished men of his time. A Virginian 
by birth, he had early migrated to South Carolina, where he 
adorned the annals of the State. 

The village in the foothills became a favorite summer resort for 
low country people, many of whom finding it a pleasant place to 
live, became permanent citizens. But its main stream of popula¬ 
tion was that of the Scotch-Irish which in the last years of the 
eighteenth, and the first years of the nineteenth centuries, poured 
into the state from Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. 

Good schools were established at an early day. Certainly in 
1819 there were in the town large and flourishing academies for 
both girls and boys. There was also good reading matter pro¬ 
vided for the public, all of the poetry and fiction of the day is ad¬ 
vertised in the Pendleton Messenger, the first paper to be pub- 




8 


Anderson County: Economic and Social. 


lished in the state outside of the city of Charleston, and the first 
in America so far west. Religious, medical, scientific and philo¬ 
sophical books are also advertised besides various school books. 
The paper had as its editor and publisher “Printer John Miller, 
a man who had the distinction of having a part in the publication 
of the famous “Letters of Junius” in London some time earlier. 
A bound copy of the Pendleton Messenger for the year 1819 is 
carefully treasured in the Anderson Public Library. 

A petition for the division of the rather unwieldy district of 
Pendleton was presented to the legislature sometime in the second 
decade of the nineteenth century. Judge Joseph N. Whitner, 
state senator living in Pendleton, was a strong advocate of the 
measure, and he became known as “the father of Anderson.” In 
1828 the division was accomplished, and Pendleton District dis¬ 
appeared from the map of South Carolina, being succeeded by the 
districts of Anderson and Pickens named in honor of two of the 
most prominent veterans of the Revolution living in this section 
of the State. 

Col. Robert Anderson, for whom the district and town were 
named, was born in Virginia but came to South Carolina before 
the war and settled near Seneca River. So greatly was he es¬ 
teemed that two towns and one district bore his name. 

On December 19, 1801, the South Carolina legislature passed 
an act authorizing Captain Samuel Earle to organize or found 
a town in the fork made by the Seneca and Tugaloo rivers where 
they meet and form the Savannah. The town was given the name 
of Andersonville, and became quite an active little village, flour¬ 
ishing until the Greenville and Columbia railroad, joining the Blue 
Ridge at Belton and passing through Anderson and Pendleton, 
carried away by steam cars the traffic that had been wont to 
float down the river by boat from Andersonville to Augusta and 
Hamburg, and was the chief source of the prosperity of the vil¬ 
lage. Now nothing remains of the once busy place except some 
mounds of overgrown debris which show where buildings once 
stood, and the one time handsome home of Col. Frank Harrison, 
relative and successor of the founder, which crowns the eminence 
overlooking the three rivers, an ideal location for a home; but that 
forsaken residence harbors within its walls the ghosts* of many 
vanquished hours, and holds all that is left of the youthful days 
of a once merry family of sons and daughters, some of whom are 
themselves but a memory now, and those that are left, are among 
“the old folks”—their day has passed and evening shadows are 
falling fast. 

There was a flourishing girls’ academy in Andersonville, which 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 


9 


* 

rivaled the one in Pendleton, and there is a letter somewhere in 
existence, or a copy of it, written by a father to his daughter at 
school in Pendleton, telling her that if she cannot find some goods 
desired in Pendleton, she might try Andersonville; he thought she 
might succeed in procuring them there. 

The Earle family took a prominent part in the development of 
Anderson County and adjoining sections. Mr. John Baylis Earle, 
originally a Virginian, came to South Carolina soon after the 
opening of the Cherokee district. He settled first in what is now 
Spartanburg County. Later he received from the state a grant 
of land which extended over several thousand acres. It was bor¬ 
dered on the west by Seneca River from Deep Creek up to about 
where Eighteen Mile Creek enters the river. Its northern bound¬ 
ary line extended from Eighteen Mile Creek across the valleys 
of Three and Twenty and Six and Twenty to within six miles of 
the present city of Anderson. He built a residence a short dis¬ 
tance from the road now running between Anderson and Town- 
ville, a little over a mile from Portman Dam. Soon after locating 
in the vicinity* Mr. Earle began the development of the shoals on 
Six and Twenty Creek at a point about eight miles northwest of 
the spot where nearly thirty years later the town of Anderson 
was located. He hoped for the growth of a village at the point 
where he began his operations, and he called his settlement Cen¬ 
terville. There were established at the place a saw mill, a wheat 
and corn mill, which keeping its products for sale was called a 
“Merchant Mill,” a tan yard, a plant for the culture of silk worms, 
and an ifon foundry which developed into a gun factory, having 
a contract to furnish guns to the government during the war of 
1812. 

Calhoun, in the eastern part of the district on Broadway Creek 
or near it, was another early and important settlement in the coun¬ 
ty. It is probable that the first settlers in the vicinity were a 
family whose name is variously given as Kemp, Smith and Calla¬ 
han, every chronicler stating that he is not sure of the name. 
They built a cabin close to where the old “Sally Reed” grave yard 
is located. This burying ground takes its name from that of a 
woman who lived close beside it, the mother of Judge J. P. Reed, 
who was from 1842 when he came to Anderson until about 1881 
when he died, one of the most prominent and influential of its cit¬ 
izens. That pioneer family was brutally massacred by the Indians, 
their home burned and their cattle stolen. The charred remains 
of their bodies were buried where they perished, thus starting the 
subsequent grave yard, in active use at one time, but now a deso¬ 
late, yet fascinating ruin. 


10 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


At Calhoun Mr. Reed started the publication of a newspaper, 
“The Highland Messenger,” called by irreverent boys of the time 
“The Highland Moccasin.” About 1841 he removed the paper to 
the town of Anderson, it becoming the first newspaper published 
in the place. The famous teacher Wesley Leverette conducted 
an Academy for boys at Calhoun where Joe Brown, Georgia’s war 
governor was a student. 

Somewhere in the direction of Belton was another early settle¬ 
ment, Stauntonville, taking its name from Mr. Henry Staunton 
who built in the vicinity a fine three story house, something un¬ 
usual at that time. 

Near Slabtown wafc established one of the best known schools 
of its day, the Thalian Academy under the direction of Rev. J. L. 
Kennedy. Boys from every part of this, and from adjoining 
states attended the school, which was finally broken up by the 
outbreak of the war in 1861. 

The name Slabtown is said to have originated with a party of 
emigrants who passing through the section on their way to the 
west, noticed that most of the buildings were constructed of great 
wooden slabs turned out by the local saw mill, and one of them 
remarked, “this must be Slabtown.” 

The money crop raised by early farmers in the district was to¬ 
bacco, which they hauled to Charleston or Hamburg packed in 
huge hogsheads through which a pole was run for the cask to re¬ 
volve around. Shafts were fitted to the projecting ends, and 
horses, mules or oxen were harnessed to the queer dray. Two 
animals were used to draw the load, and on the back of one the 
owner rode as he directed their course. On the other was fast¬ 
ened his bed, his cooking utensils, feed for the beasts, and any¬ 
thing else that he considered necessary for the journey. At night 
he stopped and camped, cooking his meals, resting and refreshing 
his faithful animals, and sleeping himself. So the long journey 
proceeded. When the market was reached, the tobacco was ex¬ 
amined, and if found faulty, was confiscated, the discomfited 
farmer being obliged to return empty handed to an eagerly ex¬ 
pectant family, who depended on this yearly trip for most of the 
necessities of life that could not be raised on the plantation, chief 
among which was salt. 

The town of Williamston took its name from Mr. West Allen 
Williams who in the third decade of the nineteenth century owned 
thousands of acres of land in the vicinity, and having discovered 
on his property a wonderful medicinal spring which he put into 
good condition he invited his neighbors to try its powers. Many 
people finding that it really cured a number of ills, its fame spread 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 11 


abroad, and it was sought by invalids from far as well as near. 
At first rough cottages sprang up about it which people occupied 
while drinking the water, but finally two Abbeville men erected a 
hundred thousand dollar hotel just across the road from the park 
which Mr. Williams had laid off around the spring for a pleasure 
ground. The hotel had all modern conveniences, was lighted by 
gas, had a great ball room and large pleasant bed rooms, good 
fare and excellent service, and it became one of the most popular 
summer resorts in the State. The fine hotel was burned Novem¬ 
ber 1860, and a much smaller one erected on the same spot. 

Mr. Williams in arranging his proposed town gave two lots for 
schools, one for boys and the other for girls. Both of those acad¬ 
emies flourished in ante-bellum days, though that for young men 
was from the first more successful than the one for young ladies. 

In 1871 the Conference of the Methodist Church in South Caro¬ 
lina sent Rev. Samuel Lander to take charge of the church in 
Williamston. By some mistake the congregation expected their 
new minister to be a bachelor, and no arrangements were made 
for the reception of Dr. Lander’s family. He had a wife and sev¬ 
eral children. Brought face to face with a meager prospect for 
support, Dr. Lander consulted with his presiding elder, and with 
his sanction opened a school for girls in the former hotel build¬ 
ing. In February 1872 the school opened with an unexpectedly 
large attendance, and Dr. Lander made such a wonderful success 
of his college for girls, that his church released him from minis¬ 
terial duties in order that he might devote his whole time to the 
school. The old Williamston Female College has been the Alma 
Mater of many of South Carolina’s finest women. After Dr. Lan¬ 
der’s death Anderson County stood idly by and allowed that 
splendid college to be transferred from her borders to Greenwood, 
where it became Lander College, and continues the good work 
begun by its founder. 

Belton and Honea Path grew up after the Columbia and Green¬ 
ville Railroad was constructed in the 50’s. The former was named 
in honor of Judge John Belton O’Neall by a daughter of Dr. 
Brown, the owner of the greater part of the land on which the 
town was built. 

The origin of the name of Honea Path is a matter of contro¬ 
versy. There are people of that name living in the vicinity, but 
it is claimed that they came to the section after the town was 
named. Many people give it an Indian origin, but the whole mat¬ 
ter is involved in obscurity. 

One of the earliest cotton mills in the South was located in An¬ 
derson County. In 1836 a company was formed and chartered as 


12 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


a cotton manufacturing company. Land was bought from Joseph 
Grisham about two miles from Pendleton. Benjamin F. Sloan 
was made president. A building two stories in height, fifty feet 
wide and one hundred and fifty feet long was erected. The 
machinery consisted of ten combination roller and flat cards with 
nine hundred and sixty flyer spindles, etc., for manufacturing 
block yarns. This equipment was bought in Patterson, N. J., 
shipped by water to Charleston, thence by rail to Hamburg, and 
hauled from there by wagon to the site of the factory. The 
machinery was set up by John Kershaw and William A. Bradley 
of New Jersey, and commenced operating in February 1838, the 
former remaining long enough to teach and train hands to run 
the machinery. The factory ran all during the war. It has 
changed hands several times since then, and is now the property 
of Mr. Eugene N. Sitton. Mr. Sitton’s father, for many years 
president of the mill, changed its name from “Pendleton Factory” 
to “Autun.” 

The village of Anderson was laid off as a county seat at the 

time that the new district was formed. Mr. Denham who once 

lived in Greenville, and later in what is now Brushy Creek town¬ 
ship of Anderson County, was given the contract for erecting the 
court house. He owned a saw mill near his country home, and 

there all of the lumber for the building was prepared and thence 

hauled to the spot. 

Mr. Robert Wilson, also of Greenville, was given the contract 
for the brick work, and he immediately moved his family to the 
new town, becoming one of the first citizens of Anderson, where 
some of his descendants have dwelt ever since. 

The first court was held on the third Monday in October 1828, 
Hon. John S. Richardson presiding. The first case tried was that 
of the State versus William Eaton for assault-and battery; ver¬ 
dict, guilty. 

In 1845 the Johnston Female University was established in An¬ 
derson, with Rev. Wm. B. Johnston as its chancellor. It was dis¬ 
continued by the war, and the old university buildings were used 
for a time as the depository of the Confederate Treasury. Later 
it was used for several schools, the best known and of longest 
duration being The Carolina Collegiate Institute over which Mr. 
W. J. Ligon presided for many years, having educated probably 
nine-tenths of the men and women who grew up in Anderson in 
the twenty years succeeding the War between the States. 

During the eighth decade of the century, General Lewis M. 
Ayer established a high class school for girls in Anderson, and 
to him many of South Carolina’s brightest women acknowledge 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 13 


indebtedness for many things finer than what they gained from 
text books. 

In the early days, the Presbyterians and the Baptists made their 
appearance in Anderson district about the same date. Probably 
the first church erected in what’ is now Anderson County was a 
Presbyterian named “Hopewell,” established in the hamlet of Pen¬ 
dleton in 1785. The congregation worshipped there until 1790 
when they built a new church several miles from Pendleton. It, 
like its predecessor, was made of logs, and was replaced in 1802 
by one of native rock, the same that is now known as “The Old 
Stone Church” where General Andrew Pickens and Col. Robert 
Anderson were both elders. The Old Stone Church is not, how¬ 
ever, within the borders of Anderson County, though its prede¬ 
cessor was. 

In 1788 both a Presbyterian and a Baptist Church were built. 
The former was “Brod-a-way,” “Broadaway,” finally “Broadway,” 
near the Abbeville line, with Rev. Robert Hall as its first pastor. 
The old Broadway church after several removes finally settled 
down and became the Presbyterian Church of Belton. Another 
influential Presbyterian church of the county was organized in 
1789 largely through the efforts of Rev. John Simpson, a Prince¬ 
ton graduate who was its first pastor. It was Roberts Church, 
supposed to have taken its name from an old Revolutionary sol¬ 
dier. If that theory is correct, it is absolutely the only memento 
of him; he does not appear anywhere else in the history of the 
county. Roberts was the church from which the Anderson First 
Presbyterian Church grew. 

The first Baptist Church was Big Creek, near Williamston, built 
in 1789 about three miles from the present town of Williamston. 
Its first pastor was a man of great force and personalty, “Elder 
Moses Holland. 

About the time that Big Creek was organized there was another 
Baptist church established at Shockley’s Ferry, on the Savannah 
River and known by that name. 

The Methodist denomination was not far behind the others in 
establishing a church of their faith. Ebenezer on Rocky River 
near the Abbeville line was established about 1789, and it has the 
honor of having held the first Sunday School in the county. At 
that school not only were the Bible and the church doctrines 
taught, but also pupils were instructed in the rudiments of an 
English education. It is said that Bishop Asbury once preached 
at Ebenezer, and the crowds that poured in to hear him made it 
necessary that he should preach out of doors. He was a short 
man, and in order to be seen and heard by the vast throng he 


14 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


stood on a table, which the congregation preserved with pious 
care for many years until a new generation that neither knew or 
cared anything about the great men of the past, relegated it to 
the trash pile. 

The first church established in the city of Anderson was a Meth¬ 
odist which stood about where the negro Presbyterian is now 
located. The Presbyterians worshipped for a long time at Rob¬ 
erts, until finally Judge Whitner gave them a site for a church 
and a liberal subscription towards its building. The Baptists wor¬ 
shipped at Mt. Tabor which occupied a place near where the Orr 
Cotton Mill now stands. In 1834 Mr. Micajah Webb conveyed to 
the Baptist congregation the site upon which the present First 
Baptist Church stands and a good building was erected. 

Anderson has furnished the State with one governor, J. L. Orr, 
who was later appointed ambassador to Russia where he died. 
She has given to the United States government four admirals. 
Three of these served their country before the war of the 60’s, 
and sleep in the grave yards of Pendleton. They were Thomas 
Holdup Stevens, William B. Shubrick, and Cornelius K. Stribling. 
Admiral Newton A. McCully is one of Anderson’s living sons. 

Brigadier-General Barnard E. Bee, who bestowed the immortal 
name of “Stonewall” on one of the South’s greatest heroes, was 
killed while the name was still warm on his lips, and his body 
was brought to his home in Pendleton where it was interred with 
every honor. 

General Ellison Capers, later South Carolina’s beloved Episco¬ 
pal Bishop, went into the war from Anderson where he was living 
and teaching at the time. He also began his ministerial work in 
Anderson as lay reader in Grace Episcopal Church, which had just 
been erected when war was declared. In the same church his 
son W. T. Capers, now Bishop of Texas, officiated as rector for 
eight years. 

John C. Calhoun lived just beyond the boundary of Anderson 
County, and transacted all of his business when he was in the 
State in Pendleton, where several members of his family are in¬ 
terred. 

Even in the war with Mexico, Anderson, though then but a 
sparsely settled county, sent a goodly number of soldiers. To the 
War between the States, practically every man capable of bear¬ 
ing arms went, and the women kept the business going. In the 
Spanish War a company of Anderson men did a noble part, and 
in the months of the World War a young man in the county be¬ 
came a novelty, and again the women occupied as best they could, 
the business places left vacant. 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 15 


Anderson people have made good in all walks of life. Among 
them are found authors, poets, musicians, artists, journalists, as 
well as business people, lawyers, doctors and preachers of no 
mean ability. 

Anderson’s crowning glory was the organization of the famous 
‘‘Red Shirt” companies of 1876, when she had the honor of being 
the scene of General Hampton’s opening campaign of the great 
reform movement which was destined to rescue the State from 
the horrors of the reconstruction “Carpet Bag” government, and 
to restorp the ruling power to the hands of the white people. 
It was in Pendleton that the uniform originated; a company of 
men from that town wearing the flaming garment rode into An¬ 
derson on the morning of the great meeting, and so impressive 
were they, that they were given the place of honor in the great 
parade next the Hampton’s guard. From their striking appear¬ 
ance on that occasion, the idea of the red shirt as a useful uni¬ 
form and adjunct to the reform movement, spread to every sec¬ 
tion of the State and it has become a brilliant spot in the State’s 
history. 


II. 


ANDERSON COUNTY TOWNS 


Frank T. Meeks. 


Anderson 

Anderson, The Electric City, is located in the center of Ander¬ 
son County. It is near the center of the Piedmont, or the foot¬ 
hills of the Blue Ridge, and about eighteen miles from the Savan¬ 
nah River. It is located on the National and the Bankhead high¬ 
ways. It is also located in one of the two thermal belts that have 
been designated by the Federal Government as the most health¬ 
ful in the country. It is 754 feet above the sea level and has an 
average temperature for winter of 44.2 degrees, spring, 62.1, sum¬ 
mer, 78.2, and autumn, 63.5. Anderson is the center of a radiating 
system of asphalt and top-soil roads that are equal to any in the. 
state. By motor it is only four hours ride to either Asheville, 
Brevard, or Lake Toxaway and only three and one-half hours 
ride to Hendersonville or White Water Falls, all of which are 
Blue Ridge Mountain resorts. 

Anderson has a city and adjacent manufacturing population of 
approximately 20,000. It has a trading population that reaches 
several counties of South Carolina and even across the Savannah 
River into Georgia, and is estimated at 200,000. 

Banks 

The banks of Anderson rank well with the banks of the other 
cities of the State. Their standing, as does the standing of the 
banks of any city, shows, to a certain extent the prosperity and 
progress of the city. We have now four banks, with an approx¬ 
imate capital for all of them of $650,000. They all show a cred¬ 
itable surplus as well as a large amount of deposits. Our bank¬ 
ing institutions are universally recognized for their stability. 

Textiles 

In and around Anderson are located eight cotton mills. The 
mills have a total capital investment of $9,144,000, and a total of 
275,784 spindles and 6,172 looms. They have a payroll of approx- 




Anderson County : Economic and Social 17 


imately $230,000 per month. These mills manufacture a great 
variety of cloth, some of which is sold in Anderson. In the words 
of another, it is needless to state that these great manufacturing 
plants deserve a large part of the credit for Anderson’s success, 
and are in a great measure responsible for the high position the 
city occupies. 


Commercial and Civic Organizations 

Anderson has two steam railroads, one electric interurban rail¬ 
way, two express companies, two telegraph companies, four lum¬ 
ber mills, two foundries and machine shops, two ice plants, one 
cold storage plant, one creamery, two hosiery mills, the only as¬ 
bestos yarn mill in the South, one cement brick plant, one cement 
culvert plant, two hotels, two daily papers, one theatre and three 
moving picture theatres, one with a seating capacity of 700. It 
also has some very active organizations, such as the Rotary Club, 
the Young Men’s Business League, the American Legion, the 
Civic Association, the Federated Women’s Clubs, and the Ander¬ 
son College Association, some of which will be given a full de¬ 
scription later. 

Hydro Electric Power 

Due to the fact that Anderson was the first town in the South 
to have an unlimited supply of hydro-electric power available for 
every use, it was given the name of “The Electric City” over 
twenty-five years ago. The first hydro-electric power furnished 
to Anderson was developed at a place called High Shoals on Rocky 
River, about five miles from the city. In order to better condi¬ 
tions, a larger plant was constructed at Portman, about ten miles 
from Anderson, where a large volume of water and other necess¬ 
ary conditions were found. From there Anderson has received 
power for several years. The citizens of Anderson were among 
the first in the country to enjoy electric lights in the home and 
well lighted streets. Anderson was perhaps the smallest city in 
the country having an electric street railway system, electric cars 
having been operated for almost twenty years. A few years ago 
a beautiful “White Way” was constructed throughout the busi¬ 
ness section of the city. For years hydro-electric power has been 
used by a large number of industries and the other uses of elec¬ 
tric power are numerous. 

Water System 

Anderson can be justly proud of her water system. It is a sys¬ 
tem, as now installed, that has an ample capacity for a city sev- 


18 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


eral times its size. Extensions can also be made promptly and 
easily, assuring an unlimited supply of water. The water is tested 
by Government officials, and since the present system was in¬ 
stalled, there has not been the slightest trace of contamination. 
The sytem also furnishes excellent fire protection and Anderson 
enjoys one of the lowest fire rates in the South. 

Streets and Sidewalks 

Anderson has 33 miles of asphalt and brick streets, and 60 miles 
of paved sidewalks. All of these streets are in excellent condi¬ 
tion. There are many cities in the South with a much larger pop¬ 
ulation that, from a paving standpoint, are far behind Anderson. 

Suburban Development 

The suburban development, during the last few year, has been 
very great, especially in the Anderson College section and that of 
North Anderson. Both have homes for several hundred people, 
have car lines connecting with the city and have gas and electric 
light connections. 

Hotels 

Anderson has two good hotels. The Plaza, which is located in 
the center of the business section, has, within the last few months, 
been completely renovated and a large number of improvements 
made. It now offers excellent accommodations and good service. 
The Salla, located on North Main Street, does not maintain a din¬ 
ing room but offers good accommodations at very attractive rates. 

Newspapers 

The city of Anderson is particularly fortunate in having two 
newspapers in the Anderson Daily Mail (afternoon) and the An¬ 
derson Daily Tribune (morning). Not many years ago Anderson 
had only one newspaper and a weekly at that. But for the last 
few years both the morning and afternoon papers have shown an 
unusual growth in circulation and a great improvement in the 
general make-up of the papers. There is no question of the fact 
that the two Anderson papers have played a very important part 
in the upbuilding of the community. Too few realize the valuable 
service rendered by these daily papers. 

The City School System of Anderson 

The present school system of the city of Anderson was inaug¬ 
urated by an Act of the Legislature in 1895. In this year a bond 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 


19 


issue was floated, a special tax levied, and the present West Mar¬ 
ket Street School building was erected. In this building there 
were thirteen class rooms of which only ten were occupied. There 
were 340 children enrolled. 

The first Superintendent was W. F. Moncrief. In 1898 Mr. 
Moncrief was succeeded by Thos. C. Walton, who filled the posi¬ 
tion until 1907. Upon the resignation of Mr. Walton in the sum¬ 
mer of 1907, E. C. McCants, Avho had come to Anderson in 1900 
as Principal of the High School Department, was elected to suc¬ 
ceed him and has filled the position since. 

In 1913 as a result of the representation made to the School 
Board and the public generally by Superintendent McCants the 
school district was enlarged so as to include within the city sys¬ 
tem the nearby cotton mill village and the adjacent suburban ter¬ 
ritory. The result of this enlargement is that the mill villages 
have, near to each, schools equal in every respect to those within 
the city proper. 

The City schools now occupy with white children two high 
school buildings and seven grammar school buildings, the whole 
comprising a total of 97 class rooms. There are in use in addi¬ 
tion to these regular class rooms the usual auxiliary rooms, such 
as domestic science, woodwork, laboratory, and special rooms, as 
well as the offices. 

For the year 1922-23, the enrollment is 3,527 white pupils and 
1,322 negroes, or a total of 4,849 pupils. The annual expenditure 
for school purposes approximates $200,000. In 1922 the high 
schools graduated 51 whites and 3 negroes. 

The Anderson School Board consists at present of Sam L. 
Prince, Chairman; Harry A. Orr, Secretary and Treasurer; J. R. 
Young, W. H. Mardin, J. F. Watson, W. P. Wright, Thos. Allen, 
Mrs. John E. White, and Mrs. George Fant. 

Anderson College 

Anderson College was adopted by the South Carolina State 
Baptist Convention in 1911 and opened its doors for the first ses¬ 
sion in 1912. The college is situated in the northwestern part of 
the city of Anderson, about one mile from the central business 
part of the city with which it is connected by a car line. Few 
colleges in the South are so ideally located or have buildings 
which are more up-to-date. There are three dormitories besides 
the administration building, all of them being connected by col¬ 
onnades. The dormitories are divided into suites (two rooms) 
with a bath between. On the campus there is a beautiful home 
for the president and a keeper’s lodge for the gardener, 


20 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


The board of trustees, upon recommendation of the faculty 
confers the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of 
Science, and Bachelor of Music. Two diplomas are conferred; 
one in art, and one in expression. The presidents the college has 
had are as follows: Dr. J. A. Chambliss, Dr. J. F. Vines, Dr. J. 
P. Kinard, and Dr. J. E. White. 

The college motto is: “A healthy Christian gentlewoman doing 
her work accurately, completely, and happily.” It is the purpose 
of every girl to try to live up to this ideal and to become herself 
the best advertisement of her Alma Mater. Special emphasis is 
laid upon the religious life of the institution, there being a B. Y. 
P. U., a Y. W. C. A., and a Student Volunteer Band composed of 
16 members. 

There are two literary societies, which not only have literary 
meetings, but also during the year, they each give a public pro¬ 
gram, a minstrel, or a musical comedy. Then, too, practically 
every class gives a play each year. And there is an opportunity 
for every girl to find some channel of self expression. Besides 
the amatuer entertainments by the student body, every year there 
is an Artists’ Course in which excellent musicians and lecturers 
are brought to the College. 

According to the college motto a Christian gentlewoman should 
be healthy and there is plenty of opportunity for physical devel¬ 
opment at Anderson College. There are tennis, basket ball, set¬ 
ting up exercises, and hikes. 

The faculty is composed of 32 teachers and instructors, and the 
enrollment of students for 1922-1923 is 275. 

Anderson Public Library 

The Public Library of Anderson was established in 1900 by the 
Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. At that time an annual 
membership fee of $1.00 was charged and the life membership fee 
was $25. The management of the library was under an advisory 
board. The city council furnished a room in the city hall for the 
use of the library, which was kept open four afternoons a week. 
At the opening of the library a number of books were donated 
and $400 was spent for the purchase of new books. 

The interest in the library increased until March, 1908, when it 
became necessary to seek better and larger quarters. At this 
time it was changed from a subscription library to a free library. 
Mr. Andrew Carnegie donated the sum of $18,700 for a building 
and Col. Jas. N. Brown, of the city, gave a lot worth $4,000, and 
in addition also gave the sum of $1,000 for equipment, and $5,000 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 21 


in five per cent bonds as an endowment. The revenue from this 
endowment is used in purchasing class and reference books. The 
endowment has enabled us to purchase a larger number of class 
and reference books than is usually found in small libraries. 

The City of Anderson appropriates annually the sum of $1,870 
for the support of the library, which is ten per cent of the amount 
of the gift made by Mr. Carnegie. 

The income is inadequate for the needs of the library, but in 
order to furnish the latest fiction, we established a rent collection 
department, which has proved very satisfactory. Under the rules 
of this department any member of the library may borrow a book 
for seven days by paying a daily rental of two cents. We have 
been very much gratified by the use the patrons have made of this 
department and find we have been able to furnish them the latest 
fiction at a nominal cost. But we find that we are unable to ade¬ 
quately supply the children’s department with the necessary books. 
This is to be regretted as the children use the library a great deal, 
and, as a rule, read a better class of books than the older people. 

The management of the library is under a board of trustees 
consisting of nine members, each of whom holds his office for a 
period of three years. The board of trustees is elected by the 
library association, and the trustees in turn elect the executive 
officers of the library. 

While the library is supported and maintained by the City of 
Anderson, all the residents of the school district in which Ander¬ 
son is located are allowed free use of the library. Those living 
out of the district are required to pay an annual membership fee 
of $1.00, or fifteen cents a month. We now have 6,000 books. 
Our library year runs from the first of May to the 30th of April 
of each year. For the year ending April 30, 1921, 19,043 books 
were borrowed. For the year ending April 30, 1922, 24,796 books 
were borrowed, which shows a very substantial increase during 
the last year. Some days we gave out more than 200 books, and 
on one day 255 books were issued. The library is open from 10 
a. m. until 7 p. m., which is 54 hours a week. 

The library property, including the books, is now valued at 
$30,000. 

Anderson first had a public library through the efforts of a few 
noble and devoted women. They did not meet with a great deal 
of encouragement from the public at first, but they persevered 
through many difficulties and discouragements, and today the 
library which they founded in such a small way has a handsome 
and permanent status. 


22 Anderson County: Economic and Social 

The Salvation Army 

Several years ago an organization known as the Salvation Army 
made its way into Anderson. At first the Army began with only 
one person in charge of the work. Since its beginning the Army 
has grown steadily and now has a Citadel, which is owned by the 
organization, and a large staff of workers who daily administer to 
the unfortunate. The Army conducts a large number of meetings 
each week, both in its Assembly Hall and on the streets. The 
citizens of Anderson have been asked not to contribute to every 
person asking for assistance but to refer all cases of this kind to 
the Army for investigation. Every case is judged strictly on its 
merits. The Army of course, fills needs in the community that 
could not be met otherwise. We see for the future of the Salva¬ 
tion Army in Anderson a growth even greater than that of the 
past. 

Anderson Rotary Club 

Words, in the ultimate and acid test of business and of life, in 
the latest analysis of things, are weightless. Accepting this as 
true, the Anderson Rotary Club believes that it is by what it does, 
how it acts, how its members conduct their business and their 
affairs, domestic and otherwise, that its future is determined, or 
that its worth to the community is measured. 

In Anderson, it may be said, Rotarians, and there are now more 
than half a hundred of them, are solidly behind every plan look¬ 
ing towards the upbuilding of the city, the county, the state, and 
the nation; lend their support unreservedly to every plan tending 
to the improvement of conditions that make for a better, a cleaner, 
and a more beautiful city in which to live. 

The Anderson Rotary Club, it is learned, was the first organi¬ 
zation in the city to agitate the building of an additional high 
school building for boys, with the idea of using the present splen¬ 
did building on Greenville Street for girls exclusively. And, at 
this time, the importance of a community play-ground is being 
presented by the club in a most attractive way. 

At a recent meeting, the club voted unanimously to award to 
the students of the eleventh grade in the high school a handsome 
gold medal each year for certain work to be done by the pupils. 
In various ways the Anderson Rotary Club strives to aid other 
organizations whose aim is to build up the community, and its 
influence is being felt throughout the county. 

Officers of the Anderson Rotary Club are as follows: Thomas 
F. Hill, President; W. K. Stringer, Vice-President; W. D. Me- 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 


23 


Lean, Secretary; John H. Cary, Treasurer; W. L. Brissey, Ser¬ 
geant-at-arms; John E. Wigington, Editor Gazette. 

The Lions Club 

A brief review of the activities of the Anderson Lions’ Club 
shows that the organization has not fallen short of its purpose in 
Anderson; a well balanced program having been completed as the 
organization rounds out its first six months of existence. Al¬ 
though some time and effort have been devoted to recreation and 
entertainment, each of the semi-monthly luncheons being featured 
by what the entire membership considered unusually beneficial 
programs on which notable speakers have appeared, the full weight 
of the organization has been thrown unhesitatingly to the sup¬ 
port of worthy local causes in a manner clearly indicative that 
the Lions are unselfish in their desire to serve. 

From the Lions’ Club minstrel, staged before an appreciative 
audience on October 4th, the Anderson High School Athletic 
Association received $175, a financial boost that added zest to the 
football squad and helped equip it and the basketball quintet for 
the season. The moral support of the Lions had already been 
pledged to high school athletics and officials of the school were 
grateful for this more substantial appreciation of their efforts to 
promote clean athletics. 

One entertainment feature, “Ladies Night,” deserves mention. 
Desirous of scattering bits of sunshine in spots where pleasure 
is best appreciated, the Lions had as the honor guests for this 
occasion the superintendents and nurses of the hospitals of An¬ 
derson. Plates for 148 were laid at the Country Club and the gay 
Halloween ball that followed is a memorable event here. The 
Lions, their wives and sweethearts, and the guests of honor, spent 
an evening of happiness long to be remembered. Voicing the 
appreciation of every nurse attending, Superintendent Lawrence, 
of the Anderson County Hospital, in a few well chosen words, 
told the Lions that their consideration was appreciated and would 
be remembered. 

A cash contribution of $50 was made by the Lions to the Sal¬ 
vation Army Christmas Dinner Fund, which aided materially in 
that organization’s drive to provide Yuletide cheer for the poor 
in Anderson. 

On September 15th the Boy Scouts of this city received $60.89 
from the Lions, the proceeds of a baseball game at Cater Park 
between the Lions and the Rotarians. Other details of the game 
are ruled out by the censors. 


24 Anderson County : Economic and Social 


The Lions’ Club was organized here July 18, 1922, with 35 active 
members, and four honorary members. Mr. M. R. Diver, organ¬ 
izer, perfected the organization at a luncheon in the basement of 
St. John’s Methodist Church, after which officers were elected, as 
follows: Dr. J. O. Sanders, President; Gen. M. L. Bonham, First 
Vice-President; Julius H. Anderson, Second Vice-President, H. 
Gordon Ezelle, Secretary and Treasurer; Horace J. McGee, Lion 
Tamer; and Robert R. King, Tail Twister. The membership has 
grown to 43 active and five honorary members. 

The Anderson press has been enthusiastic in the support given 
the Lions’ Club. Liberal space has been given the club in both 
the daily newspapers, and the Tribune, in a editorial a few days 
after our organization was perfected, had this to say: 

“Lionism is welcomed to Anderson. Its principles are worthy 
of commendation and the high ideals of its founders deserve per¬ 
petuation. There is a wide field for constructive labor here for 
this new organization, sharing the load of the Rotary Club, the 
Chamber of Commerce, the Young Men’s Business League and 
other organizations designed for the uplift and progress of this 
city. It has announced its intention to be a wide-awake organ¬ 
ization and we wish it every success.” 

At the end of the first six months work, the Lions met in the 
latter part of January, and made plans that will embrace a broad¬ 
ened scope of activities throughout 1923. 

Civic Association 

To the Civic Association of Anderson, the membership being 
made up entirely of women, we should be grateful for the great 
part it has played in the beautification of the city. Years ago, 
even before the town of Anderson thought of having paved streets, 
this organization was constantly at work beautifying the town 
in every possible way. One of the many things for which the 
association deserves credit is the beautiful Plaza in the center of 
the city. 

The Civic Association of Anderson was organized early in the 
year 1904. It was truly a pioneer organization of its kind, being 
one of the very first in the State of South Carolina. A small 
group of large-visioned, far-seeing women felt the need of such 
a club and banded themselves together under the leadership of 
Mrs. Rufus Fant, who was their capable, untiring president for 
eighteen years, up until the year 1922, when she resigned and 
steadfastly refused to reconsider her decision. 

The Civic Association has always had a three-fold ideal and has 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 25 

earnestly labored to realize it. Their aim has been to improve 
sanitary conditions, beautify the city, and uplift and ennoble our 
people. Many achievements are to its credit and its influence in 
Anderson is largely felt. 

Having local interests for its main concern, still the Civic Asso¬ 
ciation has always been alert to all progress. It affiliated in 1904 
with the South Carolina Federation of Women’s Clubs and in 1920 
sponsored and organized the Anderson County Federation, of 
Women’s Clubs. 


The Country Club 

One of the most popular projects ever undertaken in Anderson 
is the Anderson Country Club. It was organized in 1920 for the 
purpose of furnishing good, wholesome recreation for the people 
of the City and County of Anderson. It now has a membership 
of several hundred citizens of the city and county. The organ¬ 
izers purchased a tract of 181 acres located on a paved road just 
beyond the western city limits. The property included a sub¬ 
stantial brick mansion which was immediately converted into a 
splendid club house. The club has provided an excellent golf 
course,* tennis courts, and swimming pool. 

Boy Scouts 

Troup number three is the only active Boy Scout troup in An¬ 
derson at present; troups numbers one and two having grown out 
of age, were disbanded. By special permission number three has 
been allowed to have a double troup, that is 64 members, and is 
the only double troup in the State. 

The Scouts meet on Friday night and have an average attend¬ 
ance of from 35 to 45 with full attendance at times. Many times 
a year several of the scouts take over night hikes and every sum¬ 
mer they have a ten day camp. The expenses of this trip, in fact 
all the scout expenses must be paid with money earned by them¬ 
selves. They are never allowed to ask their parents for financial 
aid. 

The Scouts were very instrumental in bringing the Chatauqua 
to Anderson last year and have underwritten it again this year. 
They have done many other things for which they should be com¬ 
mended, such as selling Liberty Bonds and helping with the Red 
Cross work. They collected donations for the Red Cross and 
were always on hand when help was needed around the office. 

The people of Anderson should be, and we feel are proud of the 
Boy Scouts and anxious to see them continue their work. 


26 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


Belton 

Belton is situated in the eastern part of Anderson County. The 
town received its name from Honorable John Belton O’Neal, who 
was one of the leading Chief Justices of South Carolina, and pres¬ 
ident of the Southern Railroad, the first to be constructed through 
Belton. 

The town of Belton, according to the 1920 Census, has a popu¬ 
lation of 1,786 in a radius of half a mile. It is estimated that 
about 3,500 people live in Belton within a radius of a mile. 

The town is 980 feet above sea level, and is the highest railroad 
point between Columbia and Greenville. 

The town is surrounded by good farms and some of the best 
farmers in the State. In addition to good country roads there are 
state and federal improved top-soil roads leading into Belton from 
north, south, east and west. 

The three railroads on which Belton is located are: Blue Ridge, 
Southern, and Piedmont and Northern. There are 36 passenger 
trains in and out daily. There is also good freight service. The 
Cyclone Truck Service from Greenville passes through Belton 
daily. 

Belton is the home of the highest reinforced concrete stand¬ 
pipe in the State. Its height is 160 feet, and its capacity 165,000 
gallons. There is a municipal water works system in the town 
which furnishes a supply of the purest artesian water for domestic 
purposes and for fire protection. On the top of the standpipe 
there is an electric sign with three words, “Watch Belton Grow.” 

The Belton Power Company, a local plant, furnishes electric 
lights and power for the towns and cotton mills of Williamston 
and Belton. 

The Belton Cotton Mills are located just outside the city limits. 
This plant is among the largest in the State. It contains 63,036 
spindles and has a capital of $2,800,000. The company employs 
about 500 people. Ellison A. Smythe has been president of the 
Belton Mills since their establishment. There is a beautitul park, 
an out-door swimming pool, a community house, library, and 
auditorium in this village. All of the walks and some of the roads 
are paved. 

The Blair Mills, located just outside the town, are the only ex¬ 
clusive turkish towel factory in the State. E. Blair Rice is pres¬ 
ident. The capital is $100,000. The capacity is 300 dozen towels 
daily. This plant manufactures from raw cotton to the finished 
product, ready for the retail counter. 

The Textile Specialty Company is located in Belton. This is 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 


27 


a machine shop, and makes iron, brass, and aluminum castings. 
The capacity is 12 tons daily. 

The Broadway Oil Company is located in Belton. This plant 
contains two presses and four.linters. It also has a gin with ten 
stands. The daily capacity is 40 tons. 

Belton has a Coco-Cola bottling plant with a capacity of 500 
dozen daily. There is an ice mill in the town with a capacity of 
7% tons daily. There is a lumber and planing mill, a grist mill, 
a ..cement vault and ornamental cement plant, and a bagging and 
tie company in Belton. 

The Belton Journal is one of the best and liveliest weekly news¬ 
papers in the State. G. A. Grever is editor. 

Hotel Geer has for a number of years attracted people from 
over the country who call it one of the best hotels in the State. 

There are two cotton storage warehouses in Belton, with a total 
capacity of 2,400 bales. 

There are two Baptist churches, a Presbyterian, and a Metho¬ 
dist church for white people. There are three negro churches. 
The total membership of these churches is about 2,000. 

There are 796 pupils enrolled in the two schools for whites. 
One of the schools is located in the mill village, and has only five 
grades. The other school is located in the central part of the 
town. A beautiful new high school building is being erected. 
This building is to cost $65,000 and will be modern in every 
respect. There is a negro boarding high school just outside the 
town, and another negro school with eight grades located in the 
town. The number of pupils in the two negro schools is 380. 
Thus the total enrollment of the schools of Belton is 1,176. The 
value of all school property is over $100,000. 

There are three banks in Belton. The following are the three 
banks with their capital, surplus and undivided profits, and de¬ 
posits respectively in 1920. The Bank of Belton—$50,000, $111,000, 
$1,244,000; the Belton Saving and Trust Company—$25,000, $26,000, 
$180,000; the Farmers Bank—$25,000, $28,000, $460,000. 

The Belton Library contains over 1,400 volumes and a number of 
magazines, which are enjoyed by the people of Belton and the 
surrounding community. There is a separate library in the mill 
village and also a small library in the Central School. 

The Belton Civic League was organized in 1900. There are 
now 85 members. These women have put forth their zeal in mak¬ 
ing Belton one of the most beautiful and healthful towns in the 
Piedmont section of the State. 

The Belton Community League was organized in 1922. This 
band of business men, although a newly organized league, has 


28 Anderson County : Economic and Social 


already illustrated a spirit of cooperation between the people of 
the town and surrounding community and also among the citizens 
in the town. 

The Parent Teachers’ Association was organized in 1921. This 
organization is doing much for the town in cooperation with the 
schools. 

A troop of Boy Scouts was organized in Belton in 1915. Shortly 
afterwards a troop of Girl Scouts was formed. These organiza¬ 
tions are training the future citizens of the town to be the very 
best. 


Honea Path 

Honea Path is a progressive town situated in the foot-hills of 
Anderson County. The last census, in 1920, gives the population 
as 1,900, but this has since increased to between twenty-six and 
twenty-seven hundred, due to an increase of a hundred and fifty 
or more residences. 

Honea Path has better railroad facilities than most towns of 
much larger size, being situated on the Southern and Piedmont 
and Northern Railroads and having' twelve passenger trains daily, 
making it possible to connect with all trains. Honea Path is also 
the hub of a fine system of top soil roads, there being eight that 
meet in the center of the town. It is also on a direct route from 
the low country to the mountains. 

Among her leading industries are a cotton mill which operates 
both day and night and has 41,280 spindles and 1,000 looms; an 
ice plant; oil mill and ginnery; and two lumber mills. 

Honea Path owns its own water and light system, having flow¬ 
ing wells furnishing the water, analysis of which shows that it 
is free from contamination. This water system along with the 
chemical motor fire engine affords excellent fire protection. 

There are four flourishing churches in the town with well organ¬ 
ized Sunday Schools and prayer meetings. 

Honea Path boasts of being the smallest town in the United 
States to possess a Carnegie Free Library. The library is a brick 
building and contains 7,000 volumes besides carrying the best 
weekly and monthly magazines and periodicals. 

The community house and welfare worker are great assets to 
the town. 

The school system at Honea Path is a source of great pride to 
its citizens. There are eleven grades, with 19 teachers and 700 
pupils. The school is on the accredited list and offers the oppor¬ 
tunity of making more than the required number of unitjs. The 
school takes part in all intra-state high school activities, for the 



Anderson County: Economic and Social 29 


past three years being in the finals for the Up-State Football Cham¬ 
pionship, and for the baseball championship last year, in addition 
to winning the county track meet. The Honea Path High School 
was also represented in the state oratorical and debating contests 
last year, her debating team winning out in the up-state and there¬ 
by receiving the right to debate in the finals at Columbia. 

Every citizen of Honea Path is a Honea Path booster and a fine 
community spirit prevails which invades and includes the neigh¬ 
boring rural communities. Honea Path proclaims to the world 
that she is a wide awake, go-getting, and progressive town, and 
when she supports these claims with the above named facts and 
the fact that in the past two years her population has increased 
practically fiftv per cent, it would seem that she has made out 
her case. 

Starr 

A little place south of Anderson, known as Twiggs’ Postoffice 
in 1875, has grown into a small town, which we know today as 
Starr. It is situated on the Charleston and Western Carolina 
Railroad from Anderson to McCormick, about eight miles south 
of Anderson. It was settled as a town about 1884 when the C. & 
W. C. road was built, and received its name from the contractor 
who constructed the road. The property that the railroad now 
owns in Starr was given by Mr. J. T. Stucky, one of the oldest 
inhabitants and one who saw the need of a railroad. Starr is also 
situated at the junction of two good highways, being on the one 
from Anderson to Abbeville and on the projected change of the 
Bankhead Highway. The population of Starr is approximately 
900. 

Starr is situated in what is known as one of the best farming 
sections in the upper part of the State. Around Starr we find 
some of the largest farms in the State. Among the large land 
owners are J. C. Pruitt, who owns about 5,000 acres; the McGee 
brother, who own about 5,000 acres; and Jim McGee, about 2,000 
acres, there being several who own 1,000 and over. There is 
probably more wealth scattered around this little town than any 
other town of its size in the State. 

Starr has a combined high school and grammar school. This 
year there is a total of 185 pupils, 37 of them being in the high 
school. The school employs five teachers, two of these being full 
time high school teachers. Although the school has a very good 
rating at present, the authorities are complaining that they need 
more teachers and more money. There are probably more boys 
and girls who go to college from Starr than from any other town 


30 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


of the same population in the State. Almost every boy and girl 
who finishes the high school is sent to college. 

There are two churches in Starr, a Baptist and a Methodist. 

The Planters Bank of Starr has a capital of $10,000 and in the 
few years it has been organized has accumulated a surplus of 
$ 11 , 000 . 

Starr has two manufacturing plants, a fertilizer mill and an 
oil plant. 

The Hotel Colonial, of which Mrs. J. H. Pruitt is owner, gives 
excellent accommodations, and it is said by traveling men that 
Mrs. Pruitt serves better food than some of the large hotels of 
the State. 

The people of Starr are real true Andersonians and stand behind 
any thing for the uplift of Anderson County, as well as for Starr. 

Iva 

Iva was settled about 1884 and was at first known as Cook’s 
Station. It is 16 miles south of Anderson and is situated on the 
top soil roads from Anderson to Abbeville and McCormick, and 
also on the Charleston and Western Carolina Railroad from Mc¬ 
Cormick to Anderson. There were only 65 people in Iva in 1900 
and in 1920 the population had grown to 1,200. 

Iva is situated in a good farming section and around Iva live 
many large land owners. There are also large tracts of land 
owned by men not living in Iva. Some of the largest land owners 
are: W. T. Burriss, W. T. A. Sherard, W. F. McGee, L. E. Bowie, 
and W. W. Beaty. There are also many small farmers who own 
their own land. 

Iva has a very good school, it being grammar and high com¬ 
bined. It employs about 14 teachers, and for the 1922-1923 ses¬ 
sion about 500 pupils were enrolled. There are four churches in 
Iva, these being: Baptist, Methodist, Associate Reformed Pres¬ 
byterian, and Presbyterian. 

The Jackson Mills, Iva’s largest manufacturing establishment, 
has an investment of $1,213,000. It has in operation 27,328 spin¬ 
dles and 721 looms and manufactures brown sheeting. It employs 
500 people. 

Iva has two banks: The Bank of Iva, with a capital of $15,000 
and a surplus of $15,000; and the Farmers Bank of Iva, with a 
capital of $10,000 and a surplus of $15,000. W. T. A. Sherard is 
president of the Bank of Iva and W. Frank McGee of the Farmers 
Bank. 

Iva has electric lights for both streets and residences. The 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 31 


power is furnished by the Southern Public Utilities Company 
from the plant at Gregg Shoals. 

Iva has many good mercantile establishments, a first class cot¬ 
ton gin, and a bonded cotton warehouse. 

Pelzer 

Pelzer is beautifully located, stretching along the Saluda River 
for about a mile. It is on the Southern and Piedmont and North¬ 
ern Railroads. The town received its name from its founder, 
Francis J. Pelzer. 

In 1881 Mr. Francis J. Pelzer of Charleston erected a textile 
plant on the Saluda River where there was splendid water power 
to run the mill. This first plant was not a large affair, but as time 
passed, and the need for cheaper cloth grew, which could not be 
secured if the raw material had to be shipped to the New England 
plants, this first plant which is now called Number 1, was increased 
by half. This addition was made in 1886 and later another addi¬ 
tion was made, which made plant Number 3. They were com¬ 
bined in one, and were driven by water power until 1920 when the 
use of electricity was begun. 

In 1895 another dam was built on the property of the Pelzer 
Manufacturing Company and a hydro-electric plant was built to 
drive plant Number 4, which is a separate and distinct building 
from Numbers 1, 2 and 3. 

In the four mills there are 135,000 spindles in operation. There 
are 2,100 people employed by the Pelzer Manufacturing Company. 

The population of Pelzer is estimated at 6,500. 

The town is solely a mill town and is unincorporated. Pelzer 
is probably the largest unincorporated town in the United States. 

The schools of Pelzer, which the company built and largely 
maintain, are splendid schools. There are five buildings used, one 
of these being a new high school building. This school has a 
good course in vocational training. There are about 850 pupils 
enrolled in the Pelzer schools, and about 24 teachers are employed. 
Besides the day schools, Pelzer has a night school which is graded 
from the first through the seventh grade. 

There is a beautiful community house at Pelzer. The commun¬ 
ity worker has a cooking class, a Camp Fire Girls Club and a 
Mothers* Club. 

There is a library in Pelzer which contains over 7,000 volumes 
and a number of magazines and newspapers for the people of the 
town. The Lyceum Building, in which the library is located, also 
contains a reading room. 

The Chieora Savings Bank, located in Pelzer, has a capital of 


32 Anderson County : Economic and Social 


$50,000, and a surplus of $75,000, according to the State Bank Ex¬ 
aminer’s report for 1920. 

Thrift societies have been organized among the school children 
and other steps have been taken to promote the saving of money 
by the Pelzer employees. 

There are five churches in Pelzer with large memberships. 
These churches are largely attended, and their pulpits are sup¬ 
plied with splendid preachers. 

A unique feature of Pelzer is its large park. It contains an out¬ 
door swimming pool, a pavilion, skating rink, summer houses, and 
a beautiful flower garden. It also contains a menagerie and an 
aviary. 

Pendleton 

Pendleton is one of the oldest towns in upper South Carolina. 
It was founded in 1793, and for a number of years was the center 
of culture for the northwestern part of the State. At this time, 
also, it was the seat of district government for he Pendleton Dis¬ 
trict, which comprised the present counties of Pickens, Oconee 
and Anderson. 

Today Pendleton is quite a progressive little town of 1,040 in¬ 
habitants. The town has no bonded indebtedness and taxes are 
at a reasonable rate. 

There are four white churches. They are: Presbyterian, Bap¬ 
tist, Methodist, and Episcopal. The three negro churches are: 
Baptist, African Methodist Episcopal, and Methodist. 

The graded school is a commodious building, and was erected 
without any bond issue. For the session 1922-1923 the school 
employed 8 teachers and had an enrollment of 180 pupils, 35 of 
which were in the high school. The school curriculum includes 
agriculture and domestic science. 

Riverside Manufacturing Company, Mill Number 3, is located in 
Pendleton. This is a branch of the Riverside Manufacturing Com¬ 
pany of Anderson. This plant has about 11,000 spindles and em¬ 
ploys about 200 operatives. The capital is $100,000. 

The Pendleton Oil Mill is an up-to-date plant serving a large 
number of customers. The daily capacity is 35 tons. Its meal 
is noted for its high grade and sells at a premium. The capital 
of the mill is $50,000. It owns three gins. 

Pendleton is situated in one of the best cotton sections of the 
State. Its market handled about 7,000 bales in 1921. 

The town has one bank, The Bank of Pendleton, with a capital 
of $30,000 and a surplus of $30,000. 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 


33 


The Pendleton Electric Light Company furnishes lights for 
streets and residences. The current is generated by water power 
at Autun. 

The area of the town is one square mile. There are twelve 
stores in the town. Pendleton is only a few miles from Clemson 
College, and is in a most healthful climate. 

Townville 

Townville is located in one of the most progressive farming 
sections of Anderson County. Due to a lack of railroads and ship¬ 
ping facilities it does not offer a sufficient market for the agri¬ 
cultural products grown nearby. However, it is on an excellent 
graded top soil road from Anderson to Seneca via Portman Shoals, 
being 16 miles from Anderson and 12 miles from Seneca. Con¬ 
sequently Anderson and Seneca receive much trade due to the 
Townville merchants. The population, according to the 1920 Cen¬ 
sus, is 276. 

Townville has seven stores; one bank, capital stock $20,000; two 
garages; two blacksmith shops; two corn mills and one gin, elec¬ 
trically driven by power from Portman Shoals. Portman Shoals 
also furnishes power for the lighting system. 

Townville has a modern brick school building, built in 1916 at 
a cost of $9,000, employing 7 teachers for ten grades. The town 
has three churches—Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian, of which 
the Baptist is the strongest with a membership approximating 350. 


III. 


NATURAL RESOURCES 


L. B. Cox. 


Location 

Anderson County is situated in the upper Piedmont section of 
South Carolina, near the northwestern corner of the State. The 
county lies approximately between parallels 34° 20’ and 34° 50’ 
north latitude and meridians 82° 20’ and 83° west longitude. Its 
shape is roughly a square with the corners turned toward the 
cardinal points of the compass. On the northeast it is bounded by 
the Saluda River, beyond which is Greenville County. The south¬ 
eastern boundary is Abbeville County; the southwestern is the 
Tugaloo and Savannah rivers, which form the South Carolina- 
Georgia state line. On the northwest it is bounded by Oconee 
and Pickens counties. 

Size 

In size, Anderson County ranks thirteenth among the countie? 
of the State, with an area of 758 square miles, or 485,120 acres. 

Altitude 

The characteristic rolling topography of the Piedmont is well 
expressed thruout the county. From the northern end of the 
county there is a gradual slope to the southeast, the general alti¬ 
tude ranging from 750 to 1,000 feet above sea level. The differ¬ 
ences in elevation between valleys and adjacent ridges range from 
50 to 250 feet, depending upon the size of the streams. Viewed 
in a panoramic way the only abrupt feature in the landscape is 
Little Mountain, about 6 miles south of the center of the county, 
which is a small prominence rising 100 to 200 feet above the sur¬ 
rounding territory. 


Water Power 

The drainage of the county is largely to the south into the Sav¬ 
annah River. The northern end and the northeastern part of the 
county are drained by the Saluda River. The Tugaloo and Seneca 




Anderson County: Economic and Social 


35 


rivers unite about seven miles from the western corner and from 
the Savannah River. There are many short creeks in the county. 
Most of these flow into the Tugaloo and Savannah rivers. The 
high altitude and rolling topography of the county give it excellent 
water power. There are five large electric plants in and adjoin¬ 
ing Anderson County. One of these is on the Seneca River at 
Portman Shoals, and the other four are on the Saluda River. 
There is sufficient power, in many places along the larger creeks 
of the county, for grist and flour mills, and other small commer¬ 
cial enterprises. The water power of Anderson County has been 
developed to some extent, but it is still one of the greatest unde¬ 
veloped natural resources of the county. 


Soils 

The soils of Anderson County are representative of the Pied¬ 
mont, altho less varied in character than in any of the other coun¬ 
ties of this region. They naturally fall into two groups; namely, 
the residual, including all the uplands, and the alluvial, including 
the overflow strips along the rivers and creeks. The alluvial soils 
being complex in arrangement and in wet condition are grouped 
under the term Meadow. Including Meadow as a single type, 
there are five types of soil in the county. The four residual types 
are Cecil sandy loam, Cecil clay, Cecil stony sandy loam, and Dur¬ 
ham sandy loam. 

Over half of the soil of the county is Cecil sandy toam. It oc¬ 
curs thruout the county, altho much more extensively in some 
sections than in others. It usually occupies the ridges and gentler 
slopes. Some of the most extensive areas are found around Bel¬ 
ton and Honea Path, and to the north and northeast of Ander¬ 
son, forming a broad belt from the Abbeville County line on the 
southeast to the Pickens line on the northwest. Another irregular 
belt of considerable extent is found between Big Geneostee Creek 
and Rocky River, south of Anderson. The soil of most of Fork 
Township, in the extreme western part of the county belongs to 
this type also. 

This type is from 4 to 8 inches deep and is a brownish-gray to 
brown medium textured sandy loam. From this soil there is a 
rapid change into a red clay, which extends to a depth of several 
feet. The Cecil sandy loam produces good crops of cotton and 
corn and is well adapted to a number of crops not now grown. 
It is quite probable that a good grade of tobacco can be grown on 
it. It is also a good soil for peaches and hay grass. 


36 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


The Cecil clay, also an extensive type, is found scattered thru- 
out the county in somewhat small areas. One of the largest areas 
of this soil extends from Eighteen Mile Creek to Twenty-Six Mile 
Creek, passing just south of Pendleton. The Cecil clay to a depth 
of 3 to 6 inches consists of red loamy clay to reddish brown loam. 
The clay extends to a depth of 3 to 10 feet without much change. 
This type produces cotton and corn about as well as the Cecil 
sandy loam. This type is better adapted to cotton than corn. 
Properly handled it produces good crops of wheat and is the best 
grass land in the county. 

The Cecil stony sandy loam type occurs principally in the coun¬ 
ty with somewhat rough topography along the rivers. The largest 
areas are found in the forks of the Tugaloo and Seneca rivers and 
just across the Seneca River, extending some distance down the 
Savannah River. Another rather large area is found on the Seneca 
River at the mouth of Eighteen Mile Creek. Some small areas 
are found along the Saluda River and in other places where the 
topography is roughest. The surface of this type from 5 to 7 
inches consists of a brown sandy loam with 20 to 25 per cent of 
weathered fragments of gneiss and varying quantities of quartz 
rock. To a depth of 3 feet, the subsoil varies from a red stony 
clay to a brownish loamy material, consisting of weathered rocks 
and mixed clay. About 2 per cent of the soil of Anderson Coun¬ 
ty belongs to the Cecil stony sandy loam. This type is of the 
same origin as the Cecil sandy loam and Cecil clay. It owes its' 
difference to erosion. Cotton and corn are the main crops these 
give satisfactory yields. This soil is a splendid soil for pasture 
land. 

The surface 4 to 6 inches of the Durham sandy loam is a gray 
loamy sand, carrying small quantities of quartz fragments. Be¬ 
low this soil is a pale yellow sandy loam extending about 1.5 feet. 
This soil has a limited extent in Anderson County. The largest 
areas are at Townville and Crayton in Fork and Martin townships, 
respectively. Other small areas are found in different parts of 
the county. Most of this type is in cultivation and used almost 
altogether for general farming. Cotton and corn are the main 
crops, but this soil is too sandy for general crops and should be 
used for special purposes. This type of soil is well adapted to 
watermelons, cantaloupes, potatoes, vegetables, and fruits. 

The meadow type includes all the alluvial lands of the county. 
Narrow bottoms are found in places along the rivers and creeks, 
varying from a few yards to half a mile wide. This soil varies 
from a brownish-gray sand, along the banks to a brown fine sandy 
loam, next to the slopes. The areas cultivated are generally de- 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 


37 


voted to corn. This soil is very productive, but the frequent over¬ 
flows make crops very uncertain; therefore, most of it has been 
abandoned or used for pasture. 

Minerals 

P ■’ P - 

The minerals of Anderson County, discovered so far, consist of 
monazite, granite, asbestos, kaolin, gold, feldspar, beryl, amethyst, 
garnet, grafite, and soapstone. None of these, however, are im¬ 
portant enough to be permanently mined. Mica slate intercalated 
with grafite is found in several spots near the center of the coun¬ 
ty, but its development would require an expensive washing equip¬ 
ment. Deep red massive garnets have been found in the county. 
Good crystals of beryl occur and high grade gems of beryl have 
'been obtained. Emeralds and amethyst have also been found. 
However, none of these gems occur to the extent that they are 
of any great economic importance. 

Timber 

There are no large timber tracts in Anderson County, but small 
tracts are numerous. The wooded area, according to statistics 
of 1920, is 100,905 acres, or 28 per cent of the area of the county. 
The wooded area consists of the typical hardwood and pine of 
the Piedmont. The hardwoods of the county are oak, walnut, 
black gum, locust, ash, and yellow poplar. The soft wood is 
principally the short leaf pine. 

The 1920 report of the State Commissioner of Agriculture gives 
$272,796 as the value of the lumber and timber products of An¬ 
derson County for that year. 

It is interesting to note the timber situation in the State as a 
whole. In 1920, the United States Forest Service recorded 13,- 
889,000,000 feet as the stand of merchantable pine timber in South 
Carolina. The figure given for 1908 is approximately 45*000,000,000. 
The decrease is readily seen to be marked. 

Climate 

The climate of Anderson County is mild, pleasant, and adapted 
to a great variety of crops. The summers are long and hot, but 
they are not attended by oppressive sultry periods, except some¬ 
times for a few days in July and August, and the nights are gen¬ 
erally pleasant. The winters are short and so mild that outdoor 
work can easily be carried on and no expensive housing for live 


38 Anderson County : Economic and Social 


stock is required. The natural drainage is so good that there is 
no great annoyance caused by mosquitoes. The county is prac¬ 
tically free from malaria. 

The following table was furnished by R. H. Sullivan, Meteor¬ 
ologist and Section Director of the United States Weather Bureau 
at Columbia, South Carolina. 


Normal, Monthly, Seasonal and Annual Temperature and Precipi¬ 
tation in Anderson County 


Temperature Precipitation 



Absolute 

Absolute 






Maximum 

Minimum 

Mean 

Average 

Average 



Degrees 

Degrees 

Degrees 

Precipitation 

Snowfall 

Average 


Fahr. 

Fahr. 

Fahr. 

Inches 

Inches 

Rainy Days 

December 

77 

2 

43.4 

4.78 

0.6 

8 

January 

79 

0 

43.0 

4.54 

0.6 

9 

February 

82 

10 

43.8 

5.34 

1.6 

9 

Winter 



43.4 

14.66 



March 

93 

11 

52.5 

5.00 

0.1 

9 

April 

96 

24 

60.7 

3.51 

T 

8 

Spring 



60.9 

12.07 



June 

102 

41 

75.6 

4.50 

0 

9 

July 

105 

47 

78.5 

5.40 

0 

11 

August 

102 

55 

77.6 

5.23 

0 

9 

Summer 



77.2 

15.13 



September 

102 

35 

72.6 

3.64 

0 

6 

October 

95 

22 

61.2 

3.48 

1 

5 

November 

87 

10 

51.2 

2.90 

0.2 

5' 

Autumn 



61.7 

10.02 



Annual 



60.8 

51.88 

3.1 

96 


The temperature data are determined from the stations at An¬ 
derson, Holland in Anderson County; and Clemson College, in 
Oconee County, but very near the Anderson County line. These 
records range from 14 to 26 years. 






























Anderson County: Economic and Social 39 


Precipitation data are determined from the stations of Ander¬ 
son, Holland, and Pelzer, and Clemson College. These records 
also cover a period of 14 to 26 years. 

The total precipitation in Anderson County for the driest year 
(1904)' was 38.58 inches. The total precipitation for the wettest 
year (1906) was 73.80 inches. In determining the records for the 
wettest and driest years, the records of Anderson and Clemson 
College Stations only were used because of lack of complete data 
from the other two stations. 


IV. 


ANDERSON COUNTY INDUSTRIES 


L. B. Cox. 


Things necessary for the development of manufacturing are 
sufficient capital, efficient workers, raw material within easy reach, 
and ample transportation facilities. Anderson County is blessed 
with all of these. The total wealth of the county according to 
1920 statistics was $52,384,300, Anderson County ranking fifth 
among the counties of the State. The wealth per capita is $692. 
According to the 1920 report of the Commissioner of Agriculture, 
Commerce and Industries of South Carolina, the average number 
of persons employed in the industries of Anderson County is 6,415. 
The total wages paid in the industries, not including salaries of 
managers, are $6,007,492. Therefore, the average salary paid per 
employee is $936 per annum or $78 per month. However, these 
figures were for 1920 when laborers were hard to get and received 
big wages. 

Anderson County ranks second among the counties of the State 
in the production of cotton. In 1920, there were 81,000 bales pro¬ 
duced in the county. 

The availability of hydro-electric power, which is the most effi¬ 
cient motor power for cotton mills has greatly aided the textile 
industry in the county, not only in doing more efficient work, but 
also by reducing the capital necessary for the establishment of 
textile plants. 

The railroad facilities could be greatly improved, but at present 
they are fairly good. There are 98.4 miles of railroad in the coun¬ 
ty. The three steam lines, which are the Columbia-Greenville 
division of the Southern, the Blue Ridge, and the Charleston and 
Western Carolina, have 67.7 miles of rail in the county. The Pied¬ 
mont and Northern, an electric interurban railroad, has 30.7 miles 
of rail in the county. All of these things aid in the development 
of manufacturing. 

Textiles 

The textile industry is by far the most important industry in 
the county. According to the 1921 report of the Commissioner of 




Anderson County : Economic and Social 41 


Agriculture, Commerce and Industries of South Carolina, the 
amount of capital invested in the textile industries of Anderson 
County is $16,996,387. Anderson County ranks third among the 
counties in this respect. The county, according to the same report 
also ranks third, both in the number of textile establishments and 
in the value of the annual product of textile establishments. 
Spartanburg ranked first with 31 establishments. The value of 
the annual product of the Anderson County textile industries in 
1921 was $16,691,919. 


Mill Welfare Work 

The mill welfare of the Anderson County mill villages is excel¬ 
lent. In most of these villages there are either Y. M. C. A., Y. W. 
C. A., buildings or community houses, which are recreational and 
social centers of the villages. In many of the mill villages, libra¬ 
ries are found with good books and the best magazines and news¬ 
papers, which the inhabitants of the villages can use when they 
wish. There are playgrounds and athletic fields in most of these 
villages. Some have parks and playgrounds with swimming pools. 
The streets and sidewalks are in good condition. Most of them 
are either top-soiled or cemented. In most of the villages, com¬ 
plete sewage and water systems will be found. The villages are 
- lighted with street lights and practically all of the houses are elec¬ 
trically lighted. 

There will be found in the villages a number of well built 
churches, which are largely attended and whose pulpits are sup¬ 
plied with excellent preachers. There are schools within easy 
reach of every child in a mill village of Anderson County. Some 
of these village have schools located in them for the benefit of the 
mill children and especially for the kindergarten and primary 
pupils. But in most places the mill children and town children 
attend the same schools. Every school in the city of Anderson 
has mill children in it. One-third of the high school pupils of 
Anderson City are mill children. The school at Pelzer is the larg¬ 
est mill school in the State. The enrollment of this school is 838. 
There are also schools for the adults in many of the villages. 
These adult schools are free and are taught at night. The major¬ 
ity of the villages have a public health nurse. Some of the villages 
have company stores and laundries located in them which help 
to lessen the cost of living. 

Anderson Cotton Mills 

The Anderson Cotton Mills, located in Anderson, were estab¬ 
lished in 1889. W. C. Langley is president. The capital stock is 


42 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


$800,000. There are 71,400 ring spindles in these mills. They have 
5 boilers and also use electric power. The products of these mills 
are print cloth, pajama checks, bandage cloths, and medium count 
sheeting. These mills employ about 1,500 people. 

Anderson Hosiery Mills 

The Anderson Hosiery Mills are located at Anderson. The cap¬ 
ital invested is $35,500. C. Gadsden Sayre is vice-president, the 
presidency being vacant. These mills contain 72 knitting, loop¬ 
ing, 6 ribbing, and 2 sewing machines, which are run by electric 
power. Women’s and men’s hose are manufatcured by these mills. 

Brogan Mills 

The Brogan Mills were incorporated in 1902. The capital stock 
authorized is $1,500,000. These mills are located in Anderson. J. 
P. Gossett is president. They contain 27,800 spindles and 7 boil¬ 
ers. About 500 people are employed by these mills. They pro¬ 
duce outing flannels, both dyed and bleached. 

Conneross Yarn Mills 

The Conneross Yarn Mills were incorporated in 1907. The cap¬ 
ital stock is $100,000. These mills are located in Anderson, with 
A. S. Farmer as president. They contain 1,200 mule spindles, and 
1 boiler. Electric power is also used. They employ 60 people. 
The products of these mills are linter rope and map yarn. 

Equinox Mills 

The Equinox Mills were incorporated in 1914. The capital is 
$300,000. They are located in Anderson, and W. H. Wellington 
is president. These mills contain 17,544 spindles and employ 500 
people. Duck cloth is manufactured by the Equinox Mills. 

Gluck Mills 

Gluck Mills were incorporated in 1903. They have a capital of 
$450,000. They are located near Anderson. W. H. Wellington 
is president. Gluck Mills contain 36,200 ring spindles and 4 boil¬ 
ers. They employ 300 people. Fine lawns are the products of 
these mills. 

Hetrick Hosiery Mills 

The Hetrick Hosiery Mills in Anderson are a branch of the 
Hetrick Hosiery Mills in Walhalla, which were incorporated in 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 


43 


1909, and have a capital of $50,000. W. A. Hetrick is president. 

1 he plant located in Anderson contains 60 knitters and loopers 
and sewing machines, which are run by electric power. Knitted 
hosiery is the product of this plant. 

Orr Cotton Mills 

The Orr Cotton Mills were incorporated in 1899. The capital 
stock is $1,600,000. The Orr Cotton Mills are located in Anderson 
with J. D. Hammett as president. These mills contain 62,275 ring 
spindles and 8 boilers. Electric power is also used. The Orr 
Cotton Mills employ 600 people. They produce wide and narrow 
print cloth and sheeting. 

Riverside Manufacturing Company 

The Riverside Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1889. 
The capital is $1,000,000. B. B. Gossett is president. * The River¬ 
side Manufacturing Company is located in Anderson. This plant 
contains 32,890 ring and 4,000 twister spindles; also 4 boilers. 
This company employs 250 people. They produce cotton yarns. 

Townshed Cotton Mill 

The Townshed Cotton Mill was established in 1901. The capi¬ 
tal is $25,000. This mill is located in Anderson, with J. B. Town¬ 
shed as president. The number of spindles is 5,000. It has 1 boil¬ 
er, but also uses electric power. The Townshed Cotton Mill man¬ 
ufactures carpet warps and twine. 

Toxaway Mills 

The Toxaway Mills, located in Anderson, were incorporated in 
1900. The capital stock is $500,000. B. B. Gossett is president. 
The Toxaway Mills contain 30,384 ring spindles and 6 boilers. 
They employ about 250 people. These mills produce 27 inch and 
36 inch wide and narrow print cloths. 

Pendleton Manufacturing Company 

The Pendleton Manufacturing Company located at Autun was 
established in 1838. This was one of the first cotton mills in the 
State. The president is E. N. Sitton. The Pendleton Manufac¬ 
turing Company contains 3,300 ring and 500 twister spindles. The 
machinery is run by two large water wheels. This company em¬ 
ploys 85 people. Weaving yarns are produced. 


44 Anderson County : Economic and Social 


Belton Mills 

The Belton Mills located at Belton were incorporated in 1899. 
The capital is $2,800,000. Ellison A. Smythe is president. The 
Belton Mills contain 63,036 spindles and 4 boilers. Electric power 
is also used. About 500 people are employed by these mills. The 
product of these mills is sheeting, shirting, and drills. 

Blair Cotton Mills 

The Blair Cotton Mills are located near Belton. They were in¬ 
corporated in 1916. The capital is $100,000. E. B. Rice is presi¬ 
dent. The number of spindles is 1,548. The machinery is run by 
electric power. The Blair Cotton Mills manufacture turkish towels 
and are the only mills in the State that manufacture turkish towels 
exclusively. 

Chiquola Manufacturing Company 

The Chiquola Manufacturing Company is located at Honea Path. 
It was incorporated in 1902. The capital is $716,000. J. P. Ham¬ 
mett is president. The number of spindles is 41,280, and the num¬ 
ber of boilers is 8. This company employs 400 people. The pro¬ 
duct is print cloth. 

Jackson Mills 

The Jackson Mills, located at Iva, were incorporated in 1905. 
The capital is $350,000. Alfred Moore is president. These mills 
contain 25,500 ring spindles and 4 boilers. They employ 280 peo¬ 
ple and produce sheeting and print cloth. 

Pelzer Manufacturing Company 

The Pelzer Manufacturing Company is the largest in the coun¬ 
ty. It was incorporated in 1881. This company is located at Pel¬ 
zer, which is altogether a mill town. The capital is $3,000,000. 
Ellison A. Smythe is president. The company owns the town of 
Pelzer, which comprises 2,000 acres, 700 tenement houses, 12 stores, 
3 churches, 23 warehouses, the 4 mills and other smaller buildings. 
The number of spindles is 135,000. There are 16 boilers, 9 water 
wheels. Electric power is also used. The products of this com¬ 
pany are sheeting, shirting and drills. 

Riverside Manufacturing Company (No. 3) 

The Riverside Manufacturing Company, located at Pendleton, 
is a branch of the Riverside Manufacturing Company located at 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 


45 


Anderson. This plant at Pendleton was incorporated in 1903, and 
lias a capital of $1,000,000. B. B. Gossett is president. This plant 
contains 10,750 ring and 5,000 twister spindles and 4 boilers. Cot¬ 
ton yarns are manufactured by this company. 

Williamston Mills 

The Williamston Mills, located at Williamston, were incorpor¬ 
ated in 1900. The capital is $425,500. J. P. Gossett is president. 
These mills contain 32,250 spindles and 2 boilers. Print cloth is 
the product of these mills. 

Cotton Seed Oil Mills 

There are eight cottonseed oil mills in Anderson County. The 
1921 report of the Commissioner of Agriculture, Commerce and 
Industries of South # Carolina gives the following facts regarding 
these oils mills. The capital invested is $284,000. The value of 
the annual product is $1,141,829. The average number of em¬ 
ployees is 161. The total wages, including salaries of managers, 
paid during the year was $86,211. This report includes only six 
of the eight plants of the county. 

Farmers Oil Mill 

The Farmers Oil Mill, located in Anderson, is a branch of the 
Anderson Oil and Phosphate- Company. J. R. Vandiver is pres¬ 
ident. It contains 4 bushnell presses, 16 continental linters, and 
owns one gin. The capacity is 50 tons daily. 

Peoples’ Oil and Fertilizer Company 

The Peoples’ Oil and Fertilizer Company is located in Ander¬ 
son. L. M. Geer is president. It contains 3 French presses, 10 
Murray linters and owns one gin with 16 stands. The daily capac¬ 
ity is 40 tons. 

Broadway Oil Company 

The Broadway Oil Company is located in Belton. W. C. Brown 
and J. T. West are the owners. This plant contains 2 presses, 4 
linters, and owns a gin with 10 stands. The daily output is 40 tons. 

Honea Pathi Oil Mill Company 

The Honea Path Oil Mill Company is located in Honea Path. 
J. R. Austin is president. It contains 1 Bushnell press, 8 Conti¬ 
nental linters, and owns 1 gin. The capacity is 40 tons daily. 


46 Anderson County : Economic and Social 


Wilmont Oil Mill Company 

The Wilmont Oil Mill is located in Pelzer. Ellison A. Smythc 
is president. It contains 4 French presses, 13 Continental linters, 
and owns 1 gin. The capacity is 80 tons daily. This company 
owns a plant at Piedmont also. 

Pendleton Oil Mill 

The Pendleton Oil Mill is located in Pendleton. E. M. Sitton 
is president. It contains 1 Smithvaile press, 1 Bushnell press, 8 
Continental linters, and owns 3 gins. The daily capacity is 35 tons. 

Wilmont Oil Mill 

The Wilmont Oil Mill located in Piedmont is a branch of the 
Wilmont Oil Company of Pelzer. J. A. Hugens is president of 
the Piedmont plant. This Piedmont plant contains 1 French press, 
3 Continental linters, and owns gins. The daily capacity is 20 tons. 

Watson Cotton Oil Mill 

The Watson Cotton Oil Mill is located in Starr, S. C. C. C. 
Jones is president. This plant contains 1 Bushnell press, 4 Com 
tinental linters, and owns a 6 stand gin. This plant also has a 
fertilizer plant. 


Fertilizer Factories 

There are two fertilizer factories in Anderson County. Both of 
these are located in Anderson. 

The Chiquola Fertilizer Company is a branch of the Interna¬ 
tional Agricultural Corporation, of which there are 46 plants in 
the United States. The plant at Anderson employs about 25 peo- 
pie, and has a daily capacity of about 125 tons. 

The Anderson Phosphate and Oil Company is the only com¬ 
plete plant in the county, The capital is $562,000. This company 
employs 125 people. The annual product is about 30,000 tons. 

Anderson Machine and Foundry Company 

The Anderson Machine and Foundry Company is located in An¬ 
derson. This plant makes castings and does general machine 
work. The capital is $22,000. About 35 men are employed by this 
company. 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 47 


Progress Machine Works 

The Progress Machine Works, located in Anderson, do general 
machine work. This plant makes a specialy of dyes for mica 
stamping; experimental work is also done in this shop. 

Textile Specialty Company 

The Textile Specialty Company is located in Belton. This plant 
makes iron, brass, and aluminum castings. The capacity is 12 tons 
daily. The capital of this company is $10,000. 

Mattress Factory 

The Carolina Mattress Factory is located in Anderson. The 
company was incorporated in 1913. G. L. Tally is president. The 
capital invested is $10,000. In 1920 a complete new equipment of 
cleaning and batting machinery was installed. 

This company manufactures the “Best-yet-Felt,” “Swete Slepe,” 
and “Bungalow” mattresses. The daily capacity is 50 per day. 
This plant also manufactures springs. About 12 people are em¬ 
ployed by this company. 

Hydro-Electric Plants 

The high altitude and rolling topography of Anderson County 
give it excellent water power. The power plant at Portman 
Shoals on the Seneca River develops 10,000 horse power. Mr. H. 
A. Orr is manager of this plant, which belongs to the Southern 
Public Utility Company. 

The Belton Power Company utilizes about 37 feet fall and de¬ 
velops 4,650 horse power. This plant is located on the Saluda 
River. It furnishes power and light for the mills and town of 
Williamston and Belton. John B. Adger of Belton is president 
of this company. 

The Pelzer Manufacturing Company has two developments. 
Both are located on the Saluda River. The Lower Pelzer with 
about 40 feet fall furnishes about 5,000 horse power, and the Upper 
Pelzer with 26 feet fall develops about 2,500 horse power. Ellison 
A. Smythe is president of this company. 

Future Prospects 

It has been largely due to the cheap and reliable power that 
Anderson County is one of the leading manufacturing counties of 
the State, However, this natural resource can be developed much 


more. 


48 Anderson County: Economic and Social 

The fact that there are nineteen textile plants besides the other 
numerous manufacturing plants in Anderson County signifies that 
the county is among the leaders of the State in manufacturing. 
Since Anderson has good water power, plenty of raw material, 
and all things that are necessary for manufacturing, we logically 
expect additional cotton mills and other manufacturing plants to 
be built in the county. 

Textile Establishments of Anderson County: 1920 


Name of Plant. Spindles 

Anderson 

Anderson Cotton Mills___• 71,400 

Anderson Hosiery Mills ..... 

Brogan Mills _!!■ 27,800 

Conneross Yarn Mills . 1,200 

Equinox Mills ___._- 17,544 

Gluck Mills _ 36,200 

Hetrick Hosiery Mills ..... 

Orr Cotton Mills _____u,*’ 62,275 

Riverside Manufacturing Company . 36,890 

Townshed Cotton Mill ....._ 5,000 

Toxaway Mills . 30,384 

Autun 

Pendleton Manufacturing Company ......... 3,800 

Belton 

Belton Mills ---.1_ ? 63,036 

Blair Cotton Mills .....1,548 

Honea Path 

Chiquola Manufacturing Company __ 41,280 

Iva 

Jackson Mills - -„- ___ 25,500 

Pelzer 


Pelzer Manufacturing Company .. 135,000 


Pendleton 

Riverside Manufacturing Company ... 11,250 

Williamston 

Williamston Mills ...... 32 250 

Total number of spindles in county.. 602,357 



























Anderson County : Economic and Social 49 


Summary of all Industries of Anderson County: 1921 

(Compiled from 1921 report of State Commissioner of Agricul¬ 
ture, Commerce and Industries.) 


Industry 

Capital 

Annual Product 

Number Employed 

Wages 

Bakery products . 

$ 7,000 

$ 117,539 

17 

$ 17,474 

Brick and tile . 

72,000 

100,000 

36 

15,312 

Electricity .. 

1,012,000 

248,312 

33 

25,959 

Fertilizers _ 

556,873 

612,222 

99 

42,260 

Foundry and Machine 
Shops.... 

32,500 

74,207 

25 

27,659 

Flour and grist . 

24,000 

7,500 

4 

1,608 

Gas ..... 

77,000 

40,000 

10 

12,100 

Harness and leather _ 

5,000 

20,500 

14 

3,276 

Ice ... 

50,000 

35,773 

15 

9,456 

Lumber and timber .. 

87,600 

272,796 

94 

102,650 

Mattress and springs_ 

25,676 

36,226 

7 

6,842 

Minerals and soda _ 

98,000 

145,383 

28 

24,001 

Monumental stone _ 

2,000 

8,140 

2 

2,002 

Oil mills . 

284,000 

1,141,829 

166 

86,211 

Printing and publishing 

14,000 

60,889 

18 

23,930 

Textiles _| 

16,996,387 

\ 

16,601,919 

5,051 

3,690,880 

! 

Totals .. |$19,344,736 

1 

$19,519,235 

6,619 

$4,091,620 

























V. 


FACTS ABOUT THE FOLKS 


Olin D. Johnston. 
A. M. Bowen. 


Increasing Population 

The population of Anderson County has increased considerably 
during the last decade. In 1910, the county had a population num¬ 
bering 69,568; in 1920, 76,349, which is an increase of 16 per cent 
during the decade. Anderson County ranks fifth in the State in 
total population; and, also, fifth in the density of population, with 
101 inhabitants per square mile. Spartanburg County ranks first 
with 123 persons per square mile. Jasper County is last with only 
17 people per square mile. Charleston County, with a total pop¬ 
ulation of 108,450, surpasses any county in the State in population. 

The rural population of Anderson County shows an increase 
during the past decade. In 1910, there were 59,914 inhabitants in 
rural districts; in 1920, 65,779, which is an increase of 10 per cent 
during ten years. The increase in the rural population of the 
State during the same decade, was 7.7 per cent. 86.1 per cent of 
the total population of Anderson County is rural. Anderson 
County ranks second in the State in reference to density of rural 
population, with 87 inhabitants per square mile. Spartanburg 
County ranks first, with 94 inhabitants per square mile. 

The urban population of Anderson County shows an increase 
during the past decade. In 1910, there were 9,654 inhabitants in 
urban districts; in 1920, 10,570, which is an increase of 9.5 per cent. 
There were almost the same increases in urban and rural popula¬ 
tion during the decade of 1910 to 1920. This was not true during 
the previous decade; for between 1900-1910, the urban population 
increased 75 per cent, while the rural population only increased 
19 per cent. 

There were in the State in 1920, 1,683,724 inhabitants; 838,293 
males, and 845,431 females. This shows 7,138 more females than 
males. Anderson County has 38,213 males, and 38,138 females. 
In Anderson County in 1920, there were 25,048 white males and 
24,838 white females, or 210 more males than females. There were 
13,082 negro males and 13,230 females, which is 148 more negro 
females than males. Therefore, it is the 210 white male majority 
that accounts for the majority of males in Anderson County. 

Color and Nativity 

Anderson County has a population of 76,349; of which 49,887 




Anderson County: Economic and Social 51 


are native whites, 141 foreign born whites, 9 of the yellow race 
and 26,312 negroes. In Anderson County in 1920, 65.5 per cent 
of the total population was white, while 34.5 per cent was negro. 
The State average for negro population, in 1920, was 51.4 per cent 
of the total population. In 1910, there were 43,063 native whites 
in Anderson County; in 1920, there were 49,887, which is an in¬ 
crease of 16 per cent. In 1910, there were 26,335 negroes; in 1920, 
26,312, which is a slight decrease. These figures show that the 
native white population has increased, while the negro population 
has decreased. Therefore, we have not the negro majority prob¬ 
lem that many counties in this State are facing at present. In 
1910, 37.9 per cent of the total population of Anderson County 
was negro; in 1920, 34.5 per cent, or a relative decrease of 3.4 per 
cent. The relative increase of the white population was 15.7 per 
cent during the same decade. In 1910, there were 169 foreign born 
whites in the county, while in 1920, there were only 141, or a de¬ 
crease of 16 per cent. The negro and the foreign born whites in 
the county are on the decrease, while the native whites are on 
the increase. 

Illiteracy 

Illiteracy in Anderson County in on the decrease. In 1910, 21 
per cent of the population above 10 years of age were illiterates; 
in 1921, only 12.8 per cent were illiterates. This shows that re¬ 
markable progress has been made in stamping out illiteracy, which 
is one of the demons in Anderson County and the State. This 
decrease is due to several causes; the compulsory attendance law, 
requiring all children between eight and fourteen years of age to 
attend school; the raise in teachers’ salaries; the maintenance of 
adult and night schools, and the steps the Illiteracy Commission, 
consisting of Dr. Patterson Wardlaw, Chairman; Miss Mabel 
Montgomery, Secretary; J. E. Swearingen, Superintendent; Dr. C. 
E. Burts, Mr. George D. Brown, Dr. S. H. Edmunds, and Mrs. 
J. L. Coker began active work in June, 1918. Twenty-five thous¬ 
and dollars was appropriated by the Legislature to carry out the 
proposed plan of this commission. The report made by Miss Wil 
Lou Gray, Supervisor of Adult Schools, in 1921, gives a detailed ac¬ 
count of what has been accomplished throughout the State in 
stamping out illiteracy. Adult schools were held throughout the 
State, and schools were conducted especially to train teachers for 
the adult schools during 1920-1921. The Commission has begun 
a great work, which if continued, will do much to eradicate illit¬ 
eracy in South Carolina. 

In Anderson County, in 1920, there were 54,959 people, ten years 
old or over. Of this number 7,037, or 12.8 per cent were illiterates. 
There were 35,992 native whites, ten years old or over, of which 


52 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 


2,670, or 7.4 per cent were illiterates. Anderson County had 
18,826 negroes ten years old or over; of which 4,350, or 23.1 per 
cent were illiterates. In 1910, the total illiterates in Anderson 
County were 10,288, or 21 per cent of the total population. The 
white illiteracy was 7.4 per cent, and the negro illiteracy was 34.9 
per cent. These figures show that the negro illiteracy in Ander¬ 
son County is one of the greatest factors that Anderson County 
has to fight against in order to wipe out illiteracy. The illiteracy 
percentage for the State was 25.7 per cent. Therefore, the illiter¬ 
acy percentage for Anderson County in 1910 was 4.7 per cent 
below the State average. 

Illiteracy has decreased 8.2 per cent in Anderson County, during 
the last decade. This shows what can be done to stamp out illit¬ 
eracy if strenuous efforts are made. Although illiteracy has de¬ 
creased considerably during the last decade, there is still ground 
for a further decrease. Therefore, it is not time to stop and be 
satisfied with what has been accomplished, but instead the work 
should be continued until illiteracy is entirely wiped out. “Strike 
while the iron is hot," may well be applied here. Carry this 
slogan into effect, and in a very few decades illiteracy will be “a 
thing of the past” in Anderson County. The compulsory attend¬ 
ance law, if strictly enforced will do much to help reduce illiteracy. 

The census shows that in the group between five and twenty 
years of age that whites attended school better than blacks, that 
city children attended school better than country children, that 
education in mill centers is ahead of education in many country 
districts, and that illiteracy has become a rural problem, blighting 
especially our tenant population, regardless of color. Therefore, 
one of the greatest problems in wiping out illiteracy is the proper 
handling of education in our rural districts. 

Birth and Death Rates 

Information secured from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the 
South Carolina State Board of Health shows that in Anderson 
County in the year 1919, there were 2,085 births, which is 26.2 births 
for every 1,000 inhabitants. Anderson ranks 22nd in the State; 
Horry ranks first, with 39.1 births per 1,000. Anderson County 
is in no danger of race suicide; for every death in the county in 
1919, there were three birth. In 1919, there were 821 deaths, which 
is an average of only 10.3 deaths per 1,000. During the same year 
in Richland County there were 26.1 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. 
The State average was 13.6 deaths per 1,000. 

Mill Population 

Anderson County is one of the leading textile counties of South 
Carolina. There are 19 textile establishments in the county, em¬ 
ploying an average of 5,854 people each year. The salaries of 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 


53 


these 5,854 employees are approximately $5,484,989 each year. 
This gives an average yearly salary per employee of $937. The 
value of the annual product of the mills is $32,770,924. 

The attitude of outsiders toward mill people has changed con¬ 
siderably during the last decade. Ten years ago the mill employ¬ 
ees were looked upon as a backward, low-bred and uneducated 
class of people. Today they are considered as an energetic, edu¬ 
cated, law-abiding, and home-loving people. It is true that this 
class of people has to struggle very hard for its existence. There¬ 
fore, taking everything into consideration in reference to their 
status, there is no reason why they should be looked down upon. 
They should be commended if they succeed in sending their child¬ 
ren to high school and in some cases through college. 

Our mill population is largely made up of the good old Anglo- 
Saxon race that have drifted from the foot-hills of North Caro¬ 
lina, Tennessee, and the neighboring country into our mill villages. 
One of the outstanding characteristics of mill people is to have 
very large families. During the last decade the problem which 
has faced the mill people is: are ignorance and poverty going to 
increase faster than education and wealth? This question has 
been answered by both employee and employer in the negative. 
The mill owners and employers have succeeded to a very large 
extent in proving that they mean to put their answer into reality; 
for during the last four or five years they have done much to erad¬ 
icate poverty and ignorance. 

The living conditions in mill villages have been greatly im¬ 
proved. Today they have comfortable and sanitary homes. Their 
working conditions are much better than they were a decade ago. 
There were practically no laws governing hours of work or san¬ 
itary conditions in mills ten years ago. Today, we have statutes 
governing both. The community life has also been decidedly im¬ 
proved during recent years. In almost every mill village there 
has been erected a community house, where the boys and young 
men may meet in the evenings, play games and discuss the topics 
of the day. A few years ago there were no definite supervised 
recreational centers for them to congregate. But the back alley, 
barber shops and pool rooms were their customary meeting places. 
For the girls, almost every mill village has a community house, 
where they meet and study the art of cooking and housekeeping. 
There is also provided for them different kinds of recreation, such 
as tennis, basket ball and swimming. 

Night schools for adults have been established in several of the 
mill villages of the county. The object of these adult schools is 
to try to eradicate illiteracy in the mill villages. The response of 
these hungry and neglected folks has been inspiring. Scores and 
even hundreds have learned the elements of reading, writing, and 


54 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


the mother tongue. The people of Anderson County will do 
humanity a great service if they will see to it that each one of 
its illiterates has an opportunity to attend one of these adult 
schools. Justice demands that these adults be given a chance. 

The mill population of Anderson County is steadily increasing. 
Several of the mills of the county have recently started running 
night and day. This calls for twice as many employees to run 
their machinery. If the running of the machines night and day 
proves a success from a financial standpoint, it is predicted that 
our mill population will increase 100 per cent during the next 
decade. If this comes true, what will education do? Will the 
mill villages increase their school facilities at the same ratio? 
There is always a danger, where population is increasing rapidly, 
for schools to become over crowded. Therefore, the mill author¬ 
ities who are planning on running day and night should also plan 
to increase their present school system. 

Facts About the Folks 

Below will be found tabulated some very interesting facts about 
the county. The figures were obtained from the last United States 
Census (1920), and the report of the Bureau of Vital Statistics. 
The table gives a brief comprehensive idea of how Anderson ranks 


with other counties of the State. 

13th—In size, acres (1920) __ 483,983 

Berkeley County was first with 892,320 acres; Jas¬ 
per County was last with 238,720 acres. 

5th—In total population (1920) _ 76,349 

Charleston County was first with 108,450; Jasper 
County was last with 9,868. 

5th—In population per square mile (1920)_„_ 100.7 

Spartanburg was first with 123.2; Jasper County 
was last with 16.6. State average was 55.2. 

2nd—In density of rural population per square mile, 

(1920) 86 . 8 

Spartanburg County was first with 93.6; Jasper 
County was last with 16.6. 

21 st—In relative percentage decrease in negro popula¬ 
tion, (1910-1920) __ 3.4 


Greenwood County was first with 9.14 per cent de¬ 
crease; Williamsburg County was last with 4.3 
per cent increase. 

13th—In percentage of total population ten years of 

age or older that were church members in 1920...... 75 

Edgefield County was first with 93 per cent; Col¬ 
leton County was last with 54 per cent. State 
average 74. per cent. 







Anderson County : Economic and Social 55 

3rd—In percentage of native white illiteracy (1920)'.....? 7.4 

Charleston County was first with 1.5 per cent; 
Chesterfield County was last with 13.3 per cent. 

30th—In percentage of native white females 21 years old 

or over, in 1920, that were illiterates_ 8.9 

Calhoun County was first with 1.7 per cent; Ches¬ 
terfield County was last with 18 per cent. 

34th—In percentage of native white males 21 years old 

or over that were illiterate (1920)_ 10 

Charleston County was first with 1.7 per cent; 
Chesterfield was last with 17.3 per cent. 

41st—In number of deaths per 1,000, in 1919- 10.3 

Richland County was first with 26.1 deaths; Colle¬ 
ton County was last with 7.4 deaths. State aver¬ 
age was 13.6. 

22nd—In number of births per 1,000, in 1919. 26.2 

Horry County was first with 39.1 births; Colleton 
County was last with 18.2 births. State average 
was 27.1 births. 

12th—In average salary paid white women teachers, 

in 1920 _:......___ $587.87 

Charleston County was first with $890.25; Lexing¬ 
ton County was last with $385.38. 

19th—In average salary paid white men teachers, in 1920 $1,144.03 
Charleston County was first with $2,317.62; Lex¬ 
ington County was last with $537.60. 

4th—In average number of pupils to school, in 1920, 

according to enrollment (white) ......_ 137 

Charleston County was first with 159; Berkeley 
County was last with 31. State average was 81. 

21st—In average number of pupils to school in 1920 

according to enrollment (negro) .....---- 87 

Charleston County was first with 132; Jasper 
County was last with 41. State average was 84. 

4th—In average number of pupils to teacher, in 1920, 

. according to enrollment (white) - 37 

Greenville County was first with 43; Beaufort 
County was last with 23. State average was 33. 

26th—In average number of pupils to teacher, in 1920, 

according to enrollment (negro) ... 62 

Calhoun County was first with 102; Jasper Coun¬ 
ty was last with 41. State average was 66. 

41st—In number of homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, 1920 25 

Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester and Oconee 
Counties tied for first place with 0; Abbeville 
County was last with 40.5. State average was 15.2. 












VI. 


WEALTH AND TAXATION 


Olin D. Johnston. 


The taxable property in Anderson County in 1920 was $52,834,- 
300, according to the report of the State Tax Commission. This 
amount was obtained by estimating that all property of the coun¬ 
ty was returned for taxation on the basis of 42 per cent of its ac¬ 
tual value, as the tax practice of our State requires. But by ob¬ 
servation, you have no doubt noticed that most property is re¬ 
turned for taxation at a much lower value than 42 per cent of its 
actual value. For example, the assessed value of land per acre in 
Anderson County in 1920, was $13.07, while the census value was 
$110.77, which shows the assessed value only 11.8 per cent of the 
real value. Therefore, the total actual wealth of our county is 
far greater than $52,834,300. An official of Spartanburg County 
says that to the best of his knowledge there never was but one 
man in Spartanburg County who gave in hi^ property at the actual 
value, and that man was Dr. James H. Carlisle, and to be honest 
and fair to the splendid old gentleman, he would divide the total 
returns given in by two. This gives an idea of just how many in 
each county return their property accurately and in compliance 
with the law. 

Anderson County came fifth in the State in 1920 in total wealth 
with $52,834,300. Charleston led with $89,464,800; Allendale was 
last with $7,802,500. Anderson County came thirteenth in 1920, 
with a per capita wealth of $692. Richland led with $891; Horry 
was last with $354. 

The total taxable property in Anderson County in 1910, re¬ 
turned for taxation was $5,367,733. In 1919, the total taxable 
property returned for taxation was $19,974,350, an increase of al¬ 
most 300 per cent in nine years. 

There were 474,438 acres of land in Anderson County in 1910, 
which had a total taxable value of $3,126,397. In 1919, the same 
land had a total taxable value of $6,189,000. The total value of 
real estate in 1910 was $3,623,403; in 1919 it was $10,812,430, which 
was an increase of about 200 per cent in nine years. Taxable 
property in Anderson County increased from $12,859,973, in 1910, 
to $52,843,000, in 1920, which was an increase of about 340 per cent. 




Anderson County: Economic and Social 57 

Urban and Rural Wealth Compared 

The total taxable real estate as returned by the auditor of An¬ 
derson County for the year of 1920, was $8,958,400, of which 
$6,707,590 was rural wealth; while only $2,250,810 was the total 
value of real estate in cities, towns and villages. In 1920, the 
value of farm land, as assessed in Anderson County was $5,954,885, 
which is 65 per cent of the assessed value of the total taxable 
property in the county. These evidences show that Anderson 
County is predominantly a rural county, because most of her 
wealth is located in the rural districts. 

Anderson County came first in total farm wealth, as given by 
the 1920 Census, with $61,635,823. Spartanburg County was second 
with $54,651,996; Jasper County was last with $4,255,029. Ander¬ 
son County was second in the State in the percentage of farm land 
improved, with 66.7 per cent. The farm wealth, as given by the 
State Tax Commission, increased 154.2 per cent, between 1910 and 
1920, while the total taxable property in the county increased 
only 72.5 per cent. From these statistics it is to be noticed that 
the farm wealth is increasing very rapidly. 

Banks 

The following table is a comparison of the condition of the banks 
of Anderson County in 1914, 1919, and 1921: 

1914 1919 1921 

$5,816,314.....$17,745,060.$10,873,569 

1,072,690. 1,209,400. 1,034,525 

5,371,416_ 12,388,646. 9,078,589 

485,850. 764,024. 738,033 

The table above shows that the banks reached their high point 
of prosperity in 1919. But we should not be discouraged because 
there has been a gradual decrease since 1919; for, remember after 
all it is not the amount of money one has that counts, but what 
the purchasing value of the dollar is. 

Anderson County ranked fifth in total bank resources in 1919, 
with $15,964,641; Charleston County was first with $48,792,245; 
Berkeley County was last with $151,628. 

The banks of Anderson County are one of the most important 
factors in the promotion of progress. Therefore, we should try 
to do everything within our power to keep them on a firm and 
substantial basis. And on the other hand, we should do every¬ 
thing available to make the public place its confidence in the banks. 


Total resources . 

Capital stock . 

Loans and discounts 
Surplus funds . 














58 


&nderson County: Economic and Social 


For, after all, banks are like any other great enterprises in this 
respect: To prosper they must have the confidence of the public. 

Farm Prosperity 

The following comparison of the value of farm prosperity in 
Anderson County, derived from the United States Census reports 
for 1900, 1910 and 1920, is exceedingly significant. 

Total Value of all Farm Property 

1900 1910 1920 

$8,953,546 $24,243,245 $61,635,823 

The increase from 1900 to 1920 was $52,682,277, or 586 per cent. 

Value of Farm Land 

1900 1910 1920 

$6,405,222 $17,136,394 $43,808,652 

The increase from 1900 to 1920 was $37,403,430, or 584 per cent. 

Value of Farm Buildings 

1900 1910 1920 

$1,344,870 $4,285,931 $10,682,721 

The increase from 1900 to 1920 was $9,337,851, or 688 per cent. 

Value of Farm Implements 
1900 1910 1920 

$323,200 $764,687 $3,084,640 

The increase from 1900 to 1920 was $2,688,440, or 854 per cent. 


The table of comparison above shows that everything pertaining 
to farm wealth has been increasing almost beyond comprehension 
during the last twenty years. - 

The main items of value of farm prosperity are: Farm lands, 
farm buildings, and farm implements. Farm land, the biggest item 
shows a smaller percentage increase than either farm buildings 
or farm implements during the twenty years. From 1900 to 1920, 
farm land increased in value 584 per cent; while farm buildings 
increased 688, and farm implements increased 854 per cent. This 
enormous increased value of farm implements speaks well for An- 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 59 


derson County; for, it shows that the farmers have been convinced 
of the benefits to be derived by the use of farm machinery. In 
1920, Anderson County came first in the State, in amount spent 
in dollars for implements and machinery on improved land per 
acre, with $11.69. Lexington County was second with $10.69; 
Barnwell County was last with $3.84 per acre. 

The per capita country wealth for Anderson County in 1920, was 
$937.01, which gave us fourth place in the State. Marlboro was 
first with $1,112.63 per capita; Charleston was last with $289.57 
per capita. Remember when country wealth is referred to it 
means also the towns of less than 2,500 inhabitants. Therefore, 
all the people who live at mills outside the corporate limits of the 
city of Anderson ar6 counted as country population, and help con¬ 
siderably to decrease the per capita country wealth. The per cap¬ 
ita wealth in Anderson County increased from $186 in 1900, to 
$937 in 1920, or an increase of 404 per cent. From these statistics 
it is plainly evident that the farmers of Anderson County have a 
great future ahead of them; for, the farmers of the county have 
realized that their success in farming will depend to a very large 
degree on whether or not they use the latest modern farm imple¬ 
ments. 

Farm Mortgages 

Farm mortgages have been on a decided increase in South Caro¬ 
lina during the last two decades. In 1890, out of 45,218 farms 
owned in South Carolina, only 3,617, or 8 per cent, were mort¬ 
gaged. In 1910, with 64,350 farms owned, there were 15,020, or 
21 per cent mortgaged, which was an increase of 200 per cent. 

■> nderson County ranked 36th in the State in 1920 in percentage 
of nortgaged farms, with 8.6 per cent. Marlboro led with 2.6 per 
cen' ; Oconee was last with 14.7 per cent. In 1920, negroes owned 
296 farms in Anderson County, of which 128 farms were mort¬ 
gaged, or 43.6 per cent. Beaufort led with 2,981 farms owned by 
negioes, with only 41 farms mortgaged, or 1.4 per cent. Edge- 
field was last with 231 farms owned by negroes, with 112 farms 
mortgaged, or 48.5 per cent. 

It is impossible to secure any specific data to show why so many 
farms in Anderson County have been mortgaged. But from the 
facts available, it is plainly evident that many farms mortgaged 
during 1920 and 1921 were to buy automobiles and other unnec¬ 
essary luxuries. “Shame on Anderson County.” There are times 
when circumstances make it advisable for a farmer to mortgage 
his farm. For instance, a young man just starting out sometimes 
finds he can buy a farm by paying part down and giving a mort- 


60 Anderson County : Economic and Social 


gage for the balance. In this case it might be to his advantage 
to give a mortgage. Also, there are times when a man thinks it 
advisable to buy more land, and in order to buy more he finds him¬ 
self compelled to mortgage the land he already owns. In both 
of these instances the farmer probably is right in giving a mort¬ 
gage. But he should be very careful and study the conditions 
thoroughly before he gives a mortgage in the second instance. 
For many farmers lose their little farms trying to buy more land. 

Very often a farmer finds himself in the unfortunate condition 
of being in debt, and it is absolutely necessary to mortgage his 
farm in order to secure his debtors. This is a case of necessity 
and the other two instances are excusable, but when a farmer goes 
so far as to mortgage his farm to buy an automobile or any other 
unnecessary luxuries, it means that he is actually knocking the 
pillars out from under the ownership of his little farm. Beware, 
farmers! 


Tenancy 

There is a strong tendency at the present for farm tenancy to 
increase. During the period between 1880 to 1910, farm tenancy 
in South Carolina increased from 50.3 per cent to 63 per cent. 
All of the Southern States show an increase during the same 
period. Texas increased from 37.6 per cent to 52.6 per cent; Mis¬ 
sissippi from 63.8 per cent to 66.1 per cent; Alabama from 46.8 
per cent to 60.2 per cent; Georgia from 44.9 per cent to 65.6 per 
cent; and North Carolina from 33.5 per cent to 42.3 per cent. 

In 1910, the tenancy of Anderson County was 71.7 per cent. 
Marlboro led with 80.4 per cent; Georgetown County was last with 
21.1 per cent. By 1920 the tenancy had increased to 72.7 per cent 
in Anderson County; to 85.6 per cent in Marlboro County; and to 
23.8 per cent in Georgetown County. Of the 46 counties in the 
State in 1920, 34 had a greater percentage than 60 per cent; while 
only nine counties had below 50 per cent. Out of the 19 counties 
that had a greater percentage than 70 per cent, 14 were in the 
upper part of the State, while of the 9 counties that had below 50 
per cent, all 9 were from the lower part of the State. From these 
facts, it is evident that on the whole the counties that have the 
highest tenancy percentages are in our own Piedmont section, and 
not in the southern part of the State. 

Tenants can be classified into two distinct groups, as follows: 
Cash tenants and share tenants. These were defined in the thir¬ 
teenth census report as follows: “(1) Cash tenants, those who 
pay a cash rental or a stated amount of labor or product, such as 
$8, or 10 bushels of wheat, or 100 pounds of seed cotton per acre; 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 61 


and (2) Share tenants, those who pay a certain share of the pro¬ 
ducts, as one-half, one-third, or one-quarter.” The percentage of 
all farms operated by share tenants and by cash tenants in Ander¬ 
son County, in 1920, was share tenants 69.3 per cent; cash tenants 
24.2 per cent. 

As a general rule, share tenancy yields larger returns to the 
landlord than does cash tenancy. It is right and just for the land¬ 
lord of the share tenants to receive larger returns; for he has to 
take more risk and spend more of his time and money than does 
the landlord of the cash tenant. 

Of all tenants in Anderson County in 1920, 57.2 per cent were 
negroes, and 42.8 per cent were whites; while 65.5 per cent of the 
total population were whites and only 34.5 per cent weie negroes. 
There are several reasons why tenancy should be discouraged. 
Some of the reasons are: First, persons operating their own 
farms would make more improvements of the place than if they 
had it rented; second, educational advantages would be better; 
third, communities would be united more firmly together; fourth, 
it would relieve class strife to a certain degree; and fifth, it would 
further a general progress. For these, as well as other reasons, 
farm tenancy should be discouraged. 

Automobiles 

The registration of automobiles in South Carolina during the 
year 1919, totalled 70,143 automobiles and trucks. The number 
in 1920 was 93,843; and in 1921 there were 90,543. Between 1919 
and 1920 there was an increase of about 34 per cent, while be¬ 
tween 1920 and 1921 there was a decrease of about 3.5 per cent. 
In 1919, there was an automobile for every 18 inhabitants; and in 
1921, there was an automobile for every 18.5 inhabitants in the 
State. 

Anderson County ranked second in the State in total number 
of automobiles in 1920, with 6,086. Greenville County led with 
6,726 automobiles. In 1920, Anderson County was second in num¬ 
ber of inhabitants per automobile, with an automobile, for every 
12.5 inhabitants. Marlboro County led with an automobile for 
every 12.3 inhabitants. In 1921, Anderson County dropped into 
fourth place in total number of automobiles, with 5,782. Green¬ 
ville came first with 7,508; Richland was second with 6,571; and 
Spartanburg was third with 6,078. Anderson County came third 
in density of automobiles per county, with 13.2 inhabitants per 
automobile. Greenville County led with an automobile for every 
11.8 inhabitants; Richland County was second with an automobile 
for every 11.9 inhabitants. 


62 Anderson County : Economic and Social 


South Carolina used 41,226,067 gallons of gasoline in 1920. At 
an average value of 32 cents per gallon, this item totals $13,092,021. 
In 1921, the total amount of gasoline used in this State was 36,- 
737,715 gallons. At an average value of 25 cents per gallon, this 
item totals $9,184,428.75. This shows a decrease of $4,487,352 be¬ 
tween 1920 and 1921. In 1920, eleven hundred dollars would have 
been a conservative estimate on the average value of an automo¬ 
bile. This item would give Anderson County an investment in 
automobiles of about $6,694,600. From the best available informa¬ 
tion Anderson County used 2,748,339 gallons of gasoline in 1920, 
at an average value of 32 cents per gallon. This item totals $878,- 
367.48 spent for gasoline. Rating the average number of miles 
per gallon as 13, all automobiles in Anderson County traveled 36,- 
728,407 miles. In 1920 it was conservatively estimated that the 
operating expenses of an automobile was 10 cents per mile. This 
item would total $367,284.70 spent in operating our automobiles 
during the year 1920. 

Roads 

Anderson County like most of the other counties of this State 
found herself sorely in need of good roads when the war broke 
out in 1917. Up to 1917, there were no hard-surfaced roads in 
Anderson County maintained by the county. But the step the 
federal government took in 1916 of aiding the states in the con¬ 
struction of public roads, has helped considerably to improve road 
conditions in Anderson County. 

The small amount of $71,807.64 that the federal government gave 
this state in 1917 had a wonderful awakening effect upon the peo¬ 
ple in regard to road improvements. Roads have improved with 
leaps and bounds during the last four years. 

The State Highway System, as at present planned, contains 
3,500 miles of roads, of which more than 1,600 miles have been 
completed, including more than 200 miles of hard surface. 

In January, 1922, Anderson County had an approximate road 
mileage of 3,500 with only 255 miles of improved roads, and only 
8.4 miles of hard surface. This fact seems almost unbelievable, 
but it is a great improvement over 1916, for then the improved 
road mileage of the county could have been counted on your fin¬ 
gers, and there were no hard surface roads at all. At present, 
the State Highway System has supervision of 130.2 miles of roads 
in Anderson County. With the exception of Orangeburg Coun¬ 
ty, Anderson County has the largest number of miles of roads 
maintained by the State Highway System in this State. Out of 
110.7 miles of improved hard surface roads in this State under the 


Anderson County Top-Soil Road Leading Towards Hard Surface 







































* 






















































Anderson County : Economic and Social 63 


supervision of the State Highway System 8.4 miles, or 14 per cent 
is in Anderson County. Out of 1,665.4 miles of improved 
soft surface roads in the State under the supervision of the State 
Highway System, 91.7 miles, or 18 per cent is in Anderson Coun¬ 
ty* There were 289.7 miles of top-soil roads constructed by the 
State Highway System in 1921, 21 miles, or 13.8 per cent was con¬ 
structed in Anderson County. From these figures you can see 
Anderson County is getting her share of road improvement through 
the State Highway System. 

It is needless to spend time in explaining the benefits derived 
from good roads; also, it is almost absurd to offer argument in 
support of them, because the average intelligent citizen nowadays 
has a clear conception of the value and benefits received from 
good roads. In the past, good roads were looked upon as a mere 
dream and something that was entirely impossible,—this was due 
to the fact that the ones in position to act were too well contented 
in sitting back and saying: “This requires too much time and ener¬ 
gy, so we will just wait and allow the next generation to take this 
in hand.” Thus the problem has been handed down repeatedly. 
But thanks to fortune we have at last found intelligent and far¬ 
sighted men who have taken the matter in charge and are now 
advancing this great work with marked success. 

Taxation 

One of the best definitions of taxation is, “Taxation is nothing 
more than a method of securing to all the people at the lowest 
cost by responsible agencies the benefits of common action and 
common institutions.” 

One of the biggest problems that our General Assembly will 
have to face at its next meeting (and probably for several years 
to come)' will be the tax problem. What will they do to help the 
present tax situation? This is a question that many true South 
Carolinians are asking themselves. Now, remember that our tax 
system is the underlying foundation of all the great governmental 
and public welfare movements of this State. This being true, 
some adequate tax system ought to be adopted in South Caro¬ 
lina which will be in harmony with the conditions. 

South Carolina has the cheapest government in America. This 
may appeal to many men who have failed to see the real meaning 
of a cheap government. It must be remembered that low taxes 
indicate low grade state services. In 1919, the average per capita 
cost of government for the United States was $6.05; the average 
for the South Atlantic States was $3.88; the average for South 


64 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


Carolina was $2.40. Therefore, we pay forty per cent of the aver¬ 
age for the United States, and sixty-two per cent of the average 
for the South Atlantic States. Yet, there is a cry for lower taxes. 
Do the people really want lower taxes? No, they do not want 
lower taxes—for goodness 'sake, no! But what they really want 
is that the burden of taxes be placed where it duly belongs. There 
is not a single true South Carolinian that would like to see our 
roads, schools and protection of person and property be less cared 
for than they are today. Therefore, it is not lower taxes that the 
people want, but what they really want is a new tax system. 

The present tax system in South Carolina has reached the break¬ 
ing point, because it has been proved beyond a “reasonable doubt" 
to be an absolute outlaw system. The present system, as pro¬ 
vided by the constitution of 1895 requires, “all property to be listed 
and returned, assessed and taxed, at its actual, true value in money. 
That this provision in practice is a dead letter, is not only known 
to, and acted upon by every taxpayer, but by every tax official of 
the State from the local assessor up to the General Assembly and 
the Supreme Court. All of which can mean but one thing—that 
the operation of the tax system of South Carolina is in fact as 
much of an outlaw business as the gentle art of cracking safes or 
of distilling moonshine whiskey. Any changes in the law tend¬ 
ing either to conform the law to the facts or the facts to the law 
would seem to be desirable.” 

It is a very simple process how the undervaluation of property 
for taxation started. By the constitution of 1895, it is required 
that all property be listed and returned, assessed and taxed, at its 
actual true value in money. Suppose the State’s revenue needs 
are $450. Then suppose this sum is to be raised by taxing three 
citizens, Brown, Jones and Black. Each own $20,000 worth of 
property. By the property tax law in South Carolina each would 
pay $150. But each tries to see how low he can give in taxes; 
Brown sees where he can give in his property worth $20,000 for 
$5,000; Jones sees that he can give in his property worth $20,000 
for $3,000; Black sees where he can give in his property worth 
$20,000 for $2,000. They all evade the law as far as possible and 
this is the final result: Brown pays $225, or half of the $450; Jones 
pays $135 of the $450, while Black pays only $90 of the $450. Now 
this is what our present tax system is today. This being true, 
it is the little fellow, the small property owner, the poor man, 
who is carrying the heavier end of the log. This being the state 
of affairs, our farmers are bearing the burden of the taxes. It is 
because his property is in sight. In taxing any class of industry 
it must be remembered that there is always a limit, and if that 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 65 


industry is taxed beyond that limit, it means destruction for that 
particular industry. Therefore, this means destruction for the 
farmers, unless some change in our tax system is adopted. 

The distinguished student of taxation, Allen Ripley Foote, says, 
“the wisdom or lack of wisdom of a taxation system is a demon¬ 
stration by what it tends to develop, or by what it tends to de¬ 
stroy.” Why only at the 1922 session of the General Assembly it 
was necessary for the welfare of the farmers of the State that 
they be allowed an extension of time in which they might pay 
their taxes. 

Our present tax system is a failure. First, it has caused many 
good citizens to start circumventing the law. Secondly, it has 
placed the burden of the government unequally upon the citizens 
of the State. Thirdly, it has discouraged the ownership of prop¬ 
erty, because intangible property escapes taxation. From the 
foregoing reasons our present property tax system has been, and 
is, a complete failure, and should be abolished by enacting the 
amendments to the constitution as proposed by the Joint Special 
Committee on Revenue and Taxation. 

The committee after studying the reports of many special com¬ 
missions of various states reported that, without exception the 
general property tax is a failure, and that there can be no sound, 
sane, thorough-going reform until the constitutional restriction 
upon the power of the General Assembly in relation to general 
property tax be removed. Therefore, it is the duty of the self- 
respecting people to rid themselves of the general property tax 
law, for it has sinned away its day of grace, if it ever had one. 

How Anderson County Ranks in Wealth and Taxables 


Rank. 

5th—In total taxable property in Anderson County 

in 1920 . $52,834,300 

Charleston County led with $89,464, 800; Allendale 
County was last with $7,832,500. 

13th—In per capita wealth, in 1920 - $692 

Richland County led with $891; Horry County 
was last with $354. 

11th—In percentage increase in taxable property from 

1910-1920 72.5 

Florence County led with 123.7 per cent; the State 
increase was 60.2 per cent. 


13th—In tax rate per $100 assessed valuation, in 1920. $3.10 

Pickens County led with $4; Beaufort County 
was last with $2. 






66 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


Farms 

1st—In total farm wealth, in 1920._.$61,635,823 

Jasper County was last with $4,255,029. 

4th—In per capita country wealth in 1920- $937.01 

Marlboro County led with $1,129.63; Charleston 
County was last with $289.57. 

1st—In total number of farms in 1920.. 8,910 

Jasper County was last with 1,281. 

14th—In percentage increase in farm wealth, 1910-1920 154.2 

Georgetown County led with 244.5 per cent; Barn¬ 
well County was last with 24.7 per cent. 

40th—In per cent of total area that was woodland 

in 1920 _,._ 20.8 

Horry County led with 43.1 per cent; Beaufort 
County was last with 15.4 per cent. 

41st—In percentage of negro farms mortgaged in 1920 43.6 

Beaufort County led with 1.4 per cent; Edgefiield 
was last with 48.5 per cent. The State average 
was 23.3 per cent. 

10th—In percentage mortgaged farms are of all farms, 

in 1920 _ 8.6 

Oconee County led with 14.7 per cent; Marlboro 
County was last with 2.6 per cent. 

Crops 

2nd—In total value of crops, in 1920 ..$22,012,165 

Orangeburg County was first with $22,904,976; 

Jasper County was last with $1,032,072. 

31st—In per capita crop value, in 1920 _ 

Calhoun County led with $234.01; Charleston 
County was last with $25.37. 

24th—In value of crops per acre in 1920_ 

Beaufort County led with $72; York County was 
last with $27. 

2nd—In bales of cotton produced in 1920_ 

Orangeburg County led with 93,000 bales; Beau¬ 
fort County was last with 400 bales. 

27th—In cotton production in pounds, per acre, in 1920 
Marlboro County led with 336 pounds; Beaufort 
County was last with 96 pounds. 

2nd—In bushels of corn produced in 1920 _ 

Orangeburg County led with 1,460,318 bushels; 

Jasper County was last with 154,526 bushels. 


$115.99 

$31 

81,000 

239 

1,240,344 

















Anderson County: Economic and Social 67 


Banks 


5th—In total banking resources in 1919.$15,964,641 

Charleston County led with $48,792,245; Berkeley 
County was last with $151,629. 

11th—In banking resources per capita in 1919.- $209 

Richland County led with $453; Berkeley County 
County was last with $7. 

12th—In banking capital per capita in 1919__ $14 

Richland County led with $29; Berkeley County 
was last with 65 cents. 

4th—In total loans and discounts in 1919 _$11,168,259 

Charleston County led with $24,766,630; Jasper 
County was last with $94,555. 

5th—In surplus per capita in 1919- $9 

Charleston County led with $21; Berkeley County 
was last with 25 cents. 

12th—In savings per capita in 1919 --- $22 

Charleston County led with $115; Saluda County 
was last with 25 cents. 

6th—In total saving deposits in 1919- $1,651,191 

Charleston County led with $12,467,967; Saluda 
County was last with $4,456. 

4th—In surplus funds in 1919- $686,387 

Charleston County led with $2,267,275; Berkeley 
County was last with $5,000. 

5th—In capital stock in 1919- $1,059,400 


Charleston County led with $2,500,000; Berkeley 
County was last with $15,000. 

17th—In percentage increase in per capita total banking 

resources from 1914 to 1919 . 

Saluda County led with 469 per cent; Berkeley 
County was last with a decrease of 75 per cent. 


183 

















VII. 


SCHOOLS 




Olin D. Johnston. 


Anderson County had a population of 76,349 inhabitants in 1920, 
with a total taxable wealth of $52,834,300, or a per capita wealth 
of $692. Anderson ranks fifth in the State in population, thirteenth 
in wealth per capita and fifth in density of population with 100.7 
persons per square mile. 

During 1920, Anderson County had 6,086 automobiles and trucks, 
valued at $6,694,600, or an average investment of $394 per child 
attending school in the county. In the same year there were only 
$49.24 invested in school property per child attending school. In 
1920, Anderson County spent in operating its cars approximately 
$3,672,840, or an average expenditure of $112.12 per child attend¬ 
ing school; while we spent only $12.30 per child for education. 

No doubt, these figures will be somewhat of a surprise to many 
people of the county, but they are facts that we have to acknowl¬ 
edge. Automobiles are a valuable thing, but schools are more im¬ 
portant in making a state and county worth while. Do not under¬ 
stand me to say automobiles are not important, for automobiles 
when properly applied are very useful. Statistics show that almost 
every person in our county has gone automobile wild during the 
last three or four years. This means that many buycis of auto¬ 
mobiles have had to sacrifice sending their children to college be¬ 
cause they had purchased an automobile. When it goes this far, 
is it not time for something to be done to make the people realize 
how they are blocking the progress wheels of civilization? So it 
is up to the people of Anderson County to spend more of their 
money on the improvement of schools and less on automobiles; 
if they wish to maintain their place as pace-setters for the progress 
of their state. 

Rank of Anderson County 

We are very fortunate in having many significant facts relative 
to school conditions over a long period of time. Our government 
has been gathering educational statistics by the most scientific 
methods for many years. From these government statistics we 
are able to determine what progress our schools are making, or, if 
they have not been making any progress, we can find out why 
they have not. 




Anderson County: Economic and Social 


69 


During the winter of 1918-1920, the Russell Sage Foundation 
selected ten figures that could be combined into a statistical meas¬ 
urement of the achievements of the schools in the several states. 
This comprehensive method of indicating school conditions, as 
worked out by the Russell Sage Foundation is known as the index 
number system. This is a well established statistical device com¬ 
monly used for measuring changes in prices in the commercial 
world over long periods of time, and this index number lends itself 
readily in denoting changes, conditions and cost of education over 
a period of years. 

Anderson County Index: 1911 and 1921 



1911 White 

1911 Colored 

<u 

£ 

Cv) 

C\ 

1921 Colored 

1911 White 
and Colored 

1921 White 

and Colored 

1. Per cent of school popu¬ 
lation attending school daily 

52.19 

52.19 

68.15 

63.00 

52.19 

66.36 

2. Average days attendance 
each child of school age. 

30.12 

18.19 

49.07 

28.35 

25.62 

42.90 

3. Average number of days 
schools kept open . 

62.50 

43.00 

1 

72.00 

45.00 

52.75 

64.17 

4. Per cent that high school 
attendance was of total at¬ 
tendance . 

16.08 

| 2.07 

32.80 

4.56 

16.03 

22.95 

5. Per cent that boys were 
of girls in high school . 

*73.411 

I 

*73.41 

*58.59 

*58.59 

*73.41 

*58.59 

6. Average expenditure per 
child in average attendance... 

I 

12.501 

3.24 

49.70 

12.53 

9.10 

37.27 

7. Average expenditure per 
child of school age . 

Cn 

O 

1 

2.02 

33.71 

7.89 

5.58 

24.73 

8. Average expenditure per 
teacher employed . 

20.86| 

1 

7.13 

54.05 

22.73 

16.97 

45.10 

9. Expenditure per pupil for 
purposes other than teachers’ 
salaries .. 

3.161 

1 

1 

.33 

25.08 

8.31 

1.97 

19.08 

10. Expenditures per teacher 
employed for salaries . 

34.66 

1 

13.10 

68.19| 

1 

20.21 

21.13 

56.87 

Anderson County Index ... 

31.30| 

21.47 

51.13! 

27.12 

27.49 

47.80 

State Index . 


1 



24.87 

29.39 


(*) represents State average. 























70 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


These ten index figures of educational data that have been se¬ 
lected by the Russell Sage Foundation are not claimed to be the 
only figures by which educational efficiency can be measured; for, 
at the present time, we know of no ten things that would give us 
an exact measurement of educational efficiency. But the ten items 
selected, are unusually well adapted for inclusion as the ten cri¬ 
teria. Increases in them reflect improved educational conditions, 
and decreases reflect worse conditions. Like the stock prices, they 
can all be measured in terms of a par value of 100; and, because 
of this, they can be combined in an index that is a direct average 
instead of a relative percentage. 

Anderson County schools outstrip the general average of the 
State, with an index number of 47.80, while the State average is 
29.39. As will be noticed from the table above, Anderson County 
has increased from 27.49 in 1911, to 47.80 in 1921, which is an in¬ 
crease of 20.31 in ten years. There is no reason whatsoever why 
South Carolina should not redeem herself during the next ten years, 
and place her index number far above the cellar. Anderson, be 
the banner county for the cause that counts for most in the making 
of a state worth living in! 

It is seen, that among all the counties of the State, Anderson is 
one of the foremost in wealth, population, school revenues, school 
enrollment, and teaching force, but when we glance at the expend¬ 
itures and the length of the school terms we find that we fall far 
below some of the other counties in the State. 

South Carolina was at the bottom of the list of states in the 
matter of education in 1910, with an index number of 24.87. Wash¬ 
ington led with 61.21. In 1910 there were 276,980 illiterates in the 
State of South Carolina, or 25.7 per cent of the total population 
of the State. In 1920, the total number of illiterates had been re¬ 
duced to 200,061, or 18.1 per cent of the total population of the 
State. With a white population in the State of 679,161 in 1910, 
there were 50,245 white illiterates, or 10.4 per cent of the total 
white population were illiterates. In 1920, with a white population 
in the State of 818,538, there were 38,639 illiterates, or 6.5 per cent. 
Between 1910 and 1920 there was a decrease of 11,606, or 3.9 per 
cent. 

In 1910, with a negro population in South Carolina of 835,843, 
there were 226,735 illiterates, or 38.7 per cent. In 1920, with a 
negro population in the State of 864,719, there were 181,422 illit¬ 
erates, or 29.3 per cent. Between 1910 and 1920 there was a de¬ 
crease of 45,313, or 9.4 per cent. 

The white illiteracy in this State has been reduced from 50,245, 
or 10.4 per cent in 1910 to 38,636, or 6.6 per cent in 1920. The negro 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 


71 


illiteracy in this State has been reduced from 226,735, or 38.7 per 
cent, in 1910, to 181,422, or 29.3 per cent in 1920. The total illiter¬ 
acy of the State was 276,980, or 25.7 per cent in 1910, but was re¬ 
duced to 220,061, or 18.3 per cent by 1920. This percentage reduc¬ 
tion in illiteracy is the greatest of any state in the whole nation; 
so while we rank extremely low in illiteracy, we rank highest in 
our efforts to eradicate it. 

The illiteracy of the negro majority cannot be given as the sole 
cause of South Carolina’s position in this regard, but this fact does 
materially influence it. However, we are backward in white edu¬ 
cation as well. South Carolina has made a great stride forward 
in the educational world during the last ten years, but there is 
still much room for fhrther improvement. Just think, we can peo¬ 
ple three cities the size of Charleston, our largest city, with a peo¬ 
ple over ten years of age and not a single one able to write his 
name. 

Illiteracy in Anderson County in 1920 was 12.8 per cent. Pick¬ 
ens came first with 10.7; Berkeley, last with 38.4. The State aver¬ 
age was 18.1. As will be seen from the figures, Anderson County 
was far above the average county of the State. The two principal 
factors that help Anderson County to retain her high place among 
the counties of the State in reference to illiteracy are: First, An¬ 
derson County has a white population of almost two-thirds. Sec¬ 
ond, the negroes of Anderson County are far above the average 
negro in the other counties in reference to illiteracy. 

The native white illiteracy in Anderson County in 1920, was 7.4 
per cent, which gave Anderson County thirty-third place in this 
item in the State. Charleston was first with 1.5 per cent; Ches¬ 
terfield was last with 13.3. Everything does not look so well for 
Anderson County, when we view where we stand in the matter of 
native white illiteracy. There is only one way to rid the white 
population of illiteracy and that is by strictly enforcing the Com¬ 
pulsory Education Law. This law reads as follows: “Every 
parent, guardian, or other person having charge of any child be¬ 
tween eight and fourteen years of age inclusive, must send such 
child to a public, private or parochial school, or to a competent 
tutor, subject to the approval of the County Superintendent of 
Education, for four consecutive months, or eighty consecutive 
school days during the scholastic year that the school attended 
is in session: Provided, that in case the term of any school is less 
than four months or eighty school days, attendance for the full 
term of such school shall be sufficient to meet the requirements 
of this act except as herein provided.” As a matter of fact, four 
consecutive months, or eighty consecutive school days, is a very 


72 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 


low requirement for compulsory attendance. But if every parent 
sees that his children and his neighbors’ children do not violate 
this school attendance law, it will only be a matter of a few years 
until illiteracy will be a thing of the past. 

Consolidation 

Anderson County has been very progressive in the matter of 
abandoning the one-teacher school. This improvement has been 
carried to such an extent that Anderson County has only 23.8 per 
cent of her schools that are of the one-teacher class, which places 
her far above the average of the State—40 per cent. 

There are many advantages to be gained by the consolidation 
of schools. Some of these desirable features are: Better school 
buildings, better play grounds, better teaching facilities, each sub¬ 
ject taught more thoroughly, better cooperation in school system, 
and usually more economy in operation. 

The school house is and should be the meeting place to discuss 
the problems of the community; also, it is the place where many 
entertainments and other social gatherings are held. This is es¬ 
pecially true of the country school house. Now, if the country 
school house is to be the center of the community life, we should 
make everything so it will be as inviting and as comfortable as 
possible. Many one-teacher communities find it impossible for 
them to furnish and keep up a school house suitable for a com¬ 
munity center, but by combining their efforts with the efforts of 
other one-teacher schools they would find it possible. The one- 
teacher schools often find it difficult to furnish the necessary light, 
comfortable desks, blackboards and other equipment absolutely 
needed to carry on a first class school under present day condi¬ 
tions. 

Better play grounds are another thing that many one-teacher 
schools have been greatly in need of for many years. We are be¬ 
ginning to see this plainer than ever before, and are remedying it 
rapidly. Thanks are due many of the cotton mill companies for 
what they have already done in the way of improving the play 
grounds of the mill schools. 

The teaching in Anderson County has improved greatly during 
the last decade, for it was not an uncommon thing to step into 
a country school ten years ago and see one teacher trying to teach 
fifty or sixty children ranging in grades from the first through the 
seventh. Now, just think of a teacher trying to teach six or seven 
grades. Could she teach the subjects as they should be taught? 
It is impossible. The only remedy available was the method of 
consolidation which was adopted and found a success. But there 




Anderson County: Economic and Social 


73 


are many teachers still trying to teach five and six grades in our 
rural districts. 

The consolidation of schools brings about better cooperation in 
the educational system; for, it is much easier to visit forty schools 
than one hundred. Therefore, the County Superintendent of Ed¬ 
ucation can pay the school a personal visit often enough to keep 
up with its problems. When there are three or four teachers to 
a school, and one teacher at each school is principal, it is not so 
difficult to find out the efficient teachers. Last, but not least, it 
is more economical, and, at the same time, provides equal educa¬ 
tional opportunities. Therefore, in every way, the consolidated 
school system gives better results. 

Now, we must bfear in mind that we must push forward in the 
great struggle that is now uppermost in the minds of the progres¬ 
sive people in the State, which is educating the masses. We are 
living in an advancing age and not in one similar to that in which 
our great grandfathers lived, for in those days with a scattered 
population and poor means of transportation, the idea of bringing 
the school to the pupil prevailed, and the consequence was a great 
number of one-teacher schools. But, today, the necessity of the 
one-teacher school has passed, and there are innumerable advan¬ 
tages to be derived from the consolidation of the one and two- 
teacher schools. Therefore, as I see it, it is only a matter of time 
until one and two-teacher schools will be a thing of the past. For 
the consolidated school system is more economical, more practical 
and renders better school conditions. 

Teachers 

The teacher is one of the most important factors in our school 
system. Real teachers breathe life and spirit into the school, be¬ 
come absorbed in the work and put forth their best efforts to make 
the school what it should be. But on the other hand, if the teacher 
is not a real teacher, but only a money drawer from the county, 
she will not care very much whether or not she teaches your child 
as he should be taught. 

There is only a very small percentage of the teachers that teach 
in the same school longer than two years. Why do they change 
so often? It is because they are not offered any inducements to 
remain in the same school. Therefore, if the teacher is to get an 
increase in salary, it is almost necessary for her, or him, to change 
schools. Some states in America offer a bonus to teachers who 
remain in the same school year after year. Anderson County has 
adopted this plan; and this has proven very successful in keeping 
the teachers from changing schools. Another reason is because 


74 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


many go into other professions where they receive a larger salary. 
Now, if we hope to keep the best teachers in our county we must 
pay them a living wage, for it is a fact well known in the commer¬ 
cial world, that a sound price warrants a sound commodity. This 
holds good in the teaching world; and, as long as we do not pay 
the teachers a sound price, we must expect to have only inexperi¬ 
enced teachers teaching our children. Therefore, if the citizens of 
Anderson County want efficient teachers, they must pay them a 
living wage, but until that living wage is paid the citizens of An¬ 
derson County have no right to kick about their children being 
poorly trained. It is a fundamental principle of economics that 
the best teachers will go where the best salaries are offered, or 
enter some other trade or profession more remunerative. 

Attendance 

South Carolina led the South in school attendance percentage 
according to the census of 1920. The number of South Carolina’s 
inhabitants between five and twenty years of age in 1920 was 657,- 
152. Of this number there were 423,740 attending school, or 62.8 
per cent. Contrast this with 48.6 per cent in 1910, and a gain of 
14.2 per cent is shown during the decade. Compulsory attend¬ 
ance has played a great part in the increase in the attendance in 
the State. 

During the school year 1919-1920 there were enrolled in the 
schools of Anderson County 22,282 children between seven and 
twenty years of age, with 13,973, or 60 per cent, in average daily 
attendance. This shows that four desks out of every ten were 
vacant on an average each day. From these figures there must 
be something dreadfully wrong with our present compulsory school 
attendance system. Our schools will never attain the highest de¬ 
gree of efficiency of which they are capable as long as forty per 
cent of the pupils are absent from the school room each day. If 
the pupil absent was the only pupil affected by his absence it 
would not hurt so badly; but it goes much further and injures every 
one of the pupils in the class of the absentee, because, when a 
pupil is absent the teacher must slacken up the pace of the class 
in order that the absentee might not be hopelessly behind at the 
end of school term. Parents, it is not only your business to see 
to it that your own children attend school regularly, but it is your 
business to see that your neighbors send their children regularly. 
Just think of the financial loss that Anderson County sustains each 
year on empty benches. Forty per cent of the money spent goes 
for this purpose. We have the compulsory education law in An¬ 
derson County, and it is a good law, but unless’ it is enforced and 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 75 

the children are made to attend school regularly no benefit will 
be derived and what good is to be accomplished by compulsory 
education, unless enforced? 

Negro Schools 

Anderson County has a negro enrollment of 8,048, with a reg¬ 
ular attendance of 63.29 per cent. The expenditure on each negro 
pupil in 1918 was $2.02, but in 1920 it had increased to $3.20, an 
increase of almost 60 per cent. 

Anderson County negro schools are far ahead of the general 
average of the counties of the State, and credit should be given 
Mr. J. B. Felton, at present State Agent for Negro Schools, for 
the conditions we find our negro schools in today. He did an ex¬ 
cellent work for these schools while he was County Superintend¬ 
ent of Education of Anderson County. 

In his 1920 report Mr. J. B. Felton said: “The spirit of the col¬ 
ored people throughout the state is excellent. They are eager and 
anxious to have better advantages for their children and are willing 
to make whatever sacrifice is necessary, both in time and money 
to secure the advantages.” 

How Anderson County Ranked in Schools in 1920 

27th—In per capita expenditure according to enroll¬ 
ment, whites ----- $22.75 

Darlington led with $72.67; Abbeville was last 
with $16.69. 

14th—In per capita expenditure according to enroll- 

men, negro ... $3.20 

Charleston led with $11.57; Bamberg was last 
with $1.45. 

8th—In per capita expenditure according enrollment, 


whites and negroes .... $15.66 

Charleston led with $33.11; McCormick was last 
with $7.23. 

4th—In total value of all school property.. $1,079,302 

Greenville led with $2,568,374; Jasper was last 
with $38,042. 

6th—In per capita investment in school property.. $14.39 

Florence led with $29.07; Fairfield was last with 
$2.77. 

3rd—In receipts from state appropriations, both races $43,025.75 
Spartanburg led with $49,511.38; Jasper was last 
•yvith $3,180, 











76 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 


6th—In number of local school tax districts_ 71 

Greenville led with 97; Beaufort was last with 9. 

6th—In number of local tax districts levying special 

school tax ____ 70 

44th—In percentage in regular attendance, whites_ , 60.92 

Georgetown led with 90.89; Cherokee was last with 
60.31 per cent. 

44th—In percentage in regular attendance, negroes- 63,29 

Georgetown led with 87.24 per cent; Hampton was 
last with 61.31 per cent. 

45th—In percentage in regular attendance, both races_ 62.71 


Georgetown led with 89.89 per cent; Dillon was 
last with 61.51 per cent. 

4th—In average number of white pupils to school ac¬ 
cording to enrollment ____ , 137 

Charleston led with 159; Berkeley was last with 31. 

21st—In average number of negro pupils to school ac¬ 
cording to enrollment ...... 87 

Charleston led with 132; Jasper was last with 41. 

10th—In average number of white pupils to teacher ac¬ 
cording to average attendance . 22 


Greenville led with 31; Williamsburg was last 
with 15. 

32nd—In average number of negro pupils to teacher ac¬ 


cording to average attendance.... 38 

Calhoun led with 82; Jasper was last with 27. 

5th—In average number of white pupils to school, ac¬ 
cording to "average attendance __;... 80 

Charleston led with 114; Jasper was last with 21. 

18th—In average number of negro pupils to school ac¬ 
cording to average attendance™..55 

Charleston led with 130; Jasper was last with 27. 

4th—In average number of white pupils to teacher ac¬ 
cording to enrollment ....1_.. 37 

Greenville led with 53; Beaufort, Berkeley, and 
Jasper tied for last place with 23. 

26th—In average number of negro pupils to teacher, ac¬ 
cording to enrollment ...... 62 

Calhoun led with 102; Jasper was last with 41. 

13th—In average length of session in town schools 

(white) in days __ 175 

Calhoun, Georgetown, Lancaster and Richland 
tied for first place with 180; Horry was last with 
136 days. 

















Anderson County : Economic and Social 


13th In average length of session in country schools 

(white) 1 , in days _________ 133 

Charleston led with 159; Cherokee was last with 90. 

7th—In percentage of white schools that were one- 

teacher schools .... 23.80 

Darlington led with 10.34 per cent; Beaufort was 
last with 76.47 per cent. State average was 43.22 
per cent. 

19th—In average salary paid white teachers (men). $1,151.70 

Charleston led with $2,317.62; Lexington was last 
with $537.60. 

12th—In average salary paid white teachers (women). $587.87 


Charleston led with $890.25; Lexington was last 
with $385.38. 


Ten Year Gains in Anderson County’s Schools 



1909 

1919 

Per cent 
Gain 

Total revenues . 

Total value school property 

$102,335.53 

$273,429.97 

167 

(white) . 

Total value school property 

$165,489.00 

$581,145.00 

250 

(colored) . 

Number of local tax districts with 

$16,920.00 

$33,900.00 

100 

extra levy .. 

17 

68 

300 

Schools without extra levy . 

45 

1 


Number of town schools . 

8 

22 

175 

Number of country schools . 

87 

131 

50 

Number of white teachers -- 

95 

300 

215 

Number of white school houses 

95 

83 

-13 

Spent for teachers and supervision 

$63,352.61 

$155,204.20 

145 

Spent for buildings and supplies 

$13,601.41 

$75,348.24 

454 

Total enrollment -- 

16,562 

17,413 

5 

Average daily attendance.. 

10,101 

10,456 

5 

Per cent average daily attendance 

j 61 

61 

0 

Average annual salary (white men) 
Average annual salary (white 

$545.25 

1 

$964.09 

77 

women) _____ 

Average annual salary (colored 

$337.37 

1 

$429.59 

27 

men) ---—. 

Average annual salary (colored 

$120.94 

$186.78 

55 

women .....— 

$127.54 

$158.54 

24 





































ANDERSON AGRICULTURE 


Olin D. Johnston. 
A. M. Bowen. 


Anderson County is Predominantly Agricultural 

One of the outstanding agricultural features of Anderson County 
is that there are more farms in this county than any other county 
in the State. Anderson has 8,910 farms,—362 more than the next 
highest county in this regard—Orangeburg County with 8,548; and 
7,629 more than Jasper, the lowest in the State, 1,281 farms. There 
are 192,693 farms in the State; and Anderson County has approx¬ 
imately 5 per cent of the total. 

In the county there are 485,120 acres of land and of this num¬ 
ber 395,509 acres, or 81.5 per cent of the whole, are in farms. This 
shows that by far the greatest part of our county wealth is made 
up of farm property. The amount of improved land is 263,671 
acres; subtract this amount from 395,509, the total number of acres 
in the county, and you have 131,838 acres, or 33.3 per cent not 
under cultivation. By allowing 50,000 acres of woodland as the 
minimum amount* which must be held in reserve to meet our lum¬ 
ber and fuel needs, Anderson has 84,963 surplus acres lying idle. 
In comparison with the other counties of the State, this is a small 
number of idle acres. However, this number is rather large when 
we realize that by allowing 75 acres for each family of five, we 
could easily take care of approximately 1,266 new farming fami¬ 
lies, or 6,330 people in the rural section of the county. Still, it 
must be remembered that there are various things that make it 
impossible to utilize all of the land now lying idle. There are a 
“few” acres of land in Anderson County that it would be almost 
impossible to utilize at all, especially at a profit. There is no 
necessity for this acreage lying idle with as many people seeking 
some means of livelihood as there are today. 

Anderson County ranks second among the counties of the State 
in the percentage of improved farm land. By improved farm land 
is meant, according to the census definition, “all land regularly 
tilled or mowed, land in pasture, which has been cleared or tilled, 




Anderson County : Economic and Social 


79 


land lying fallow, land in gardens, orchards, vineyards and nur¬ 
series, and land occupied by farm buildings.” Anderson has 667 
per cent of her acreage in this class. Barnwell County, with 68.4 
per cent of her farm land improved, is the only county in the State 
that surpasses Anderson County in this particular. 


Capital Invested 

Anderson County is the wealthiest county in the State in the 
total value of farm property. Greenville and Spartanburg are the 
two next richest counties. In 1910, the value of all farm property 
in the county was $24,243,245; in 1920 it reached $61,635,823, or an 
increase of 154.2 per cent. The total farm wealth in Greenville 
County in 1910 was $18,568,419; in 1920, it was $45,930,523, indicat¬ 
ing an increase of 147 per cent. In farm buildings Anderson shows 
an increase from $4,285,931 in 1910 to $10,682,721 in 1920. 

In 1920, Anderson County had in use approximately $3,084,646 
worth of farm machinery. A rapid change from old to modern 
methods of farming by machinery is noticeable by the fact that in 
1910 there were only $764,687 worth of farm machinery in the 
county. From 1900 to 1920, farm implements increased 854 per 
cent. This enormous increase in farm implements speaks well for 
Anderson County; for, it shows that the farmers have been con¬ 
vinced of the benefits to be derived by the use of farm machinery. 
In 1920, Anderson County came first in the State in amount in dol¬ 
lars spent for implements and machinery on improved land per acre, 
with $11.69. Lexington County was second with $10.69; Barnwell 
County was last with $3.84 per acre. 

The county has not only invested in machinery, but also in more 
and better livestock. This is shown by the fact that in 1910 her 
live stock value was $2,056,233, while in 1920 it was $4,059,804. 
From these statistics it is to be noticed that the farm wealth is in¬ 
creasing very rapidly. 

Farm Tenancy 

In 1920 there were 192,693 farms in South Carolina. Of this 
number 124,231, or 64.5 per cent, were operated by other than the 
owners of them. Mississippi with 66 per cent, and Georgia with 
66.6 per cent, are the only states in the Union which exceeded this 
state in the percentage of farm tenancy. There seems to be a 
strong tendency for farm tenancy to increase. During the period 
between 1880-1920, farm tenancy in South Carolina increased from 
50.3 per cent to 64.5 per cent. 

Farm tenancy in Anderson County has been on the increase dur- 


80 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


ing the past four decades. In 1910, the tenancy of Anderson 
County was 71.7 per cent. Marlboro County led with 80.4 per cent; 
Georgetown County was last with 21.1 per cent. By 1920 the ten¬ 
ancy had increased to 72.7 per cent in Anderson County; to 85.6 
per cent in Marlboro County; and to 23.8 per cent in Georgetown 
County. This is a very discouraging plight to be found in; for 
farm tenancy carries with it many deadening influences. 

In Anderson County out of a total of 8,910 farms, 6,475, or 72.7 
per cent, are operated by tenants who usually care for nothing 
more than a mere livelihood out of them. Further, it is difficult 
to try to describe the conditions under which some tenant farmers 
live. Something must be done to check this situation, or else in 
time to come we will have conditions just as bad as the feudal 
system. If Anderson County wishes to rise from her degrading 
state of tenancy she must devise and perfect plans which will make 
the road to farm ownership smooth. 

The average length of stay of the farm tenant at one place is 
two years, and the knowledge of this fact contributes to the neg¬ 
lect of the land and premises. He often manifests little interest in 
improvements on the farm, or the progress of the community. 
Little effort is made to maintain the fertility of the soil and to 
make farm life attractive. He does not care to raise food for his 
own use, and pays little attention to livestock production. It is 
rarely possible to arouse his interest in the welfare of the com¬ 
munity, as a whole, on such issues as good schools, roads, social 
organizations and churches. He has very little money to contrib¬ 
ute for the advancement of these vital activities. He does not feel 
justified in supporting them, even to his meager ability, as his fore¬ 
sight is limited, together with the fact that he has to be in read¬ 
iness to change his place of residence each year if necessary. 

One of the results of farm tenancy in Anderson County is that 
at one time of the year, for a very short period, there is plenty of 
money in circulation and it appears that everyone is enjoying 
prosperity. Then everything takes a turn and a few have all the 
money, while the rest must start all over again with no more than 
they had the previous year at the same time. Each farmer should 
endeavor to produce more food crops and livestock. He could 
then turn the money derived from these in payment for a piece of 
land he could call his own, instead of going to the city and pay¬ 
ing twice the price for things he easily could have raised at home. 

In 1920 there were 6,475 farms operated by tenants. Of this 
number 2,959 were operated by whites, while. 3,511 were worked 
by negroes. Along with a high percentage of tenancy goes the 
negro problem. So when you have the negro tenancy increasing 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 


81 


the negro problem is increasing at the same ratio. You find all 
through the Piedmont section of the State a very high percentage 
of tenancy, and it cannot be said that the negro population is the 
sole cause of this; for, the whites have a majority in many of the 
counties. 

Of the 46 counties in the State in 1920, 34 had a greater percent¬ 
age of farm tenancy than 60 per cent; 19 had a greater percentage 
than 70 per cent; while only nine counties had below 50 per cent. 
Out of the 19 counties that had a greater percentage than 70 per 
cent, 14 were in the upper part of the State, while of the 9 counties 
that had below 50 per cent, all nine were from the lower part of 
the State. 

One means by which the farm tenancy situation can be relieved 
to a certain extent is through the Federal Land Bank. National 
Farm Loan Associations have been formed all over the nation, 
and have been of great benefit to the farmers. The twelve Fed¬ 
eral Land Banks loaned during the period from November 20, 
1918, to November 20, 1919, $251,426,600 to farmers of the United 
States; 13 per cent of which was for purchase of lands; 2.8 per 
cent was used for different things that go to improve farming con¬ 
ditions, and 59 per cent for the purpose of liquidation of existing 
mortgages. ‘One of the main purposes of the Federal Lank Bank 
was to encourage farm ownership. But South Carolina, one of 
the states that has the highest percentage of tenancy, has failed 
to respond to the call offered. During the year 1919, South Caro¬ 
lina had the lowest proportion of borrowing for the purchase of 
land of any state in the union, with only 4 per cent. South Caro¬ 
lina borrowed during that year $4,697,990, of which only $187,920 
was used for the purchase of land. This does not show that the 
Farm Loan Act has done much good in the State towards farm 
ownership. On the other hand many farmers have borrowed 
money at a lower rate of interest and have transferred mortgages 
on their farms to these land banks. 

It is to the interest of any community to get their white people 
to own the land they farm. A good many of the farmers are ig¬ 
norant of the fact that these associations exist, and others do not 
know the purpose of them. It is up to those that do know to en¬ 
lighten those that do not, and urge them to take advantage of this 
opportunity of owning their own land. Through these associa¬ 
tions the farmer is able to borrow money at a low rate of interest 
and on easy terms for the purpose of buying land or tor needed 
improvements. 

There are several other ways of bettering tenant farming con¬ 
ditions. Some of these are: (1) The tenant should be compen- 


82 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 


sated by the landlord for improvements made on the farm he is 
working; (2) longer leases should be encouraged; and (3)' “absentee 
landlordism” reduced to a minimum. The reason for these three 
last solutions is that tenants have to be shown the benefits to be 
derived from farm ownership before they are going to become 
land owners. 

Farm tenancy should be discouraged for the following reasons: 
First, persons operating their own farms would make more im¬ 
provements on the place than if they had it rented; second, edu¬ 
cational advantages would be better; third, communities would be 
united more firmly together; fourth, it would relieve class strife 
to a certain degree; and fifth, it would better conditions socially, 
economically, and politically. Therefore, it behooves every white 
farmer in Anderson County to own his own farm if he wants his 
county to go forward at the maximum rate. 

Value of Crops 

In 1920 only one county in the State ranked higher in the value 
of its crops than did Anderson County. Orangeburg County sur¬ 
passed Anderson County’s crop value by a small margin. The 
total value of all crops in Anderson was $22,012,165, while in 
Orangeburg they netted $22,904,976. In Anderson about 77 per 
cent, or $17,992,839 of the total amount was brought forth by crops 
other than food crops, and the one principal crop was cotton. It 
is true that the county’s value of the cotton crops surpassed the 
value of the amount of food crops needed to supply the county, 
but that was before the boll weevil made its appearance. The 
thing that gives Anderson County a black eye is that most of the 
money that our non-food crops bring is sent outside ot tne county 
and state, leaving very little money in circulation within the coun¬ 
ty. The farmers spend their time and energy in producing one 
special crop, which is cotton, because they can see a larger amount 
of money at one time than they would see by dealing with other 
crops. The minor crops are given but little attention. It is true 
that the farmer gets more money at market for cotton than he 
would any thing else that he carries there. In the long run, how¬ 
ever, he can see that he has little left by the time he pays debts 
that will be incurred by his purchasing necessities that he could 
have produced himself, and at much less than the price which he 
paid for them. So long as the farmer persists in purchasing sup¬ 
plies that he can raise himself and paying much more for them, 
there will be some one to sell them to him. 

Why not raise a reasonable amount of cotton, sell it, and claim 
the amount received for it as reimbursement for the year’s work? 


Seven Months Old Poland China Gilts 
Prize winners from J. B, Donthit’s Farm, Pendleton 




















































































































































































































Anderson County : Economic and Social 83 


This can be accomplished if the farmer will only slightly reduce 
his cotton acreage, produce everything he will need for home use 
and refuse to divide up with the merchants that have been receiv¬ 
ing large profits from him for supplies he could produce at home. 
A man producing nothing but cotton and buying all other supplies 
is like robbing Peter to pay Paul,” for he is no better off than 
when he began. 

The One-Crop System and the Boll Weevil 


Most of the farms in Anderson County are operated by tenants, 
and, as a consequence, one crop is raised exclusively. Cotton was 
planted last year, this year, and will be planted next year. What 
is the effect of this one crop predominating each year? The tenant 
is kept busy during the time of planting, tilling, picking, and mar¬ 
keting of the crop. This will last about seven or eight months 
out of each year. The tenant is loafing about four or five months 
out of the year. This is a great waste of time and labor. The 
strength of the land is weakened and the land idle for a consider¬ 
able period. There are seven fundamental defects or evils of the 
one crop system, as follows: (1) It impoverishes the soil; (2) it 
increases the risk of the farming enterprise; (3) it makes the sup¬ 
ply of money available at one time only and develops the time 
credit system; (4) it makes the marketing machinery difficult; (5) 
it makes for idleness of machinery and labor; (6) it lowers the 
general intelligence; (7) it has a depressing effect on the social 
life of the community The effect of these evils on the advance¬ 
ment of agriculture is being brought before the farmers today in 
such a way that they cannot help realizing that something must 
be done to prevent a continuation of this system. 

Corn, oats, clover, etc., are good crops for the farmers of An¬ 
derson County. In addition to these crops one should raise all 
the food supplies that one will need for his own use. The acreage 
that is left should be devoted to the production of cotton, so that 
when the end of the year is reached and an estimate of profits is 
made, he will have something other than a headache to his credit. 

The boll weevil has Anderson County slated as a good place to 
reside for a while. It is within the county and will be perhaps as 
long as cotton is grown. “Cotton crazy” may be applied to most 
of the farmers in the South and as much so in Anderson County 
as elsewhere. This was true before the appearance of the boll 
weevil and is still true with many of the farmers in Anderson 
County. Diversification of farming is one of the best solutions 
by which the boll weevil problem can be solved. If the farmers 
are driven into diversification of farming by the boll weevil, it will 


84 Anderson County : Economic and Social 


make them farmers in the true sense of the word. In a way 
it is a blessing, though it is rather hard to see it from this angle. 
It is impossible to rid the county of this pest in a short time, due 
to the fact that so little is known about its control. This pest has 
caused more worry, discontent, and poverty than any other factor 
in the cotton belt. 

There have been many solutions offered for the boll weevil prob¬ 
lem, but the experts and scientists are still at a loss as to how to 
rid the country of the pest. Therefore, it would be out of the ques¬ 
tion for us to try to go into details and give a satisfactory plan 
of farming under boll weevil conditions. Yet, the following is 
an outline of a few fundamentals that have been acknowledged 
as the best ways in fighting the boll weevil: (1) Cut cotton stalks, 
corn stalks, and other vegetation and destroy as soon as possible 
each year; (2) plant early; (3) plant early maturing varieties of 
cotton; (4) cultivate your cotton often; (5)' pick weevils until 
squares appear; (6) pick squares if labor is cheap; (7) plant smaller 
amount of acreage in cotton and more in food and feed products; 
(8) dust the plants with calcium arsenate; (9) prepare the land 
carefully. All of these measures of controlling or resisting the 
boll weevil as to shorten the period of exposure to the pest; that is, 
the period between the formation of the squares and the growth 
of the bolls beyond the danger of weevil injury. From what has 
been said, the ideal solution of the problem would be for the mem¬ 
bers of each cotton growing community to begin planting on the 
same date. If cotton growing communities were organized to co¬ 
operate in simultaneous planting it would shorten the period of 
exposure to weevil injury. 

Cooperative Marketing 

One of the problems of the farmer today is how can he market 
his products and reap the best advantage without excessive over¬ 
head expenses. The farmers have lost many dollars due to the 
lack of a good system of marketing. Many European countries 
have recognized the evil practice of individual marketing and have 
replaced their old methods by the cooperative marketing scheme. 

South Carolina will not be rushing into something untried when 
she takes action towards cooperative marketing, for many of the 
southern states have cooperative marketing. Some of these are 
Georgia, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Califor¬ 
nia. Every one of the states that has tried cooperative marketing 
has found it a great benefit to its farmers. California was one 
of the first states to recognize and take advantage of cooperative 
marketing, on a large scale, and during the year of 1919 approxi- 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 85 


mately two hundred and seven million dollars’ worth of products 
were sent out of California cooperatively. 

The whole country is waking up to the fact that much can be 
gained by united effort in marketing. In a very short time most 

of the products of this country, even the large staple crops, will 

be marketed cooperatively, for the farmers have become perme¬ 
ated with a spirit of cooperation. The boll weevil has put many 
farmers to thinking that cooperative marketing is one way for 
them to save themselves from a great financial catastrophe. The 
boll weevil, one of the greatest pests the farmer has ever had to 

face, may prove in the long run one of the farmers’ best friends. 

It has and will bring about diversification of crops, and the crops 
such as cotton, corn and wheat will not be the only crops. Nat¬ 
urally, this will call for cooperative marketing. Anderson County 
has begun to organize a cooperative marketing system. One of 
the men organizing this system says there is only one type of 
farmer that has an argument he cannot refute, and that is the 
man who is able to hold his crop indefinitely. But how many 
farmers in the county can hold their whole cotton crop indefinitely? 
There are none in Anderson County. 

In organizing a cooperative association there should be a definite 
plan in order that no important feature may be overlooked. Care¬ 
ful attention should be given to the local situation in a community 
where the formation of an association is under consideration, be¬ 
cause local conditions have much to do with the chances which a 
cooperative organization has to succeed. The farmers in some 
communities look upon cooperative activities with favor, and are 
good cooperators. In other communities they lack faith in this 
remedy. Questions of race and nationality deserve careful con¬ 
sideration in planning for a cooperative organization. A cooper¬ 
ative market organized on the right plan is bound to succeed, not 
by means of any magical power, but by the application of united 
effort and good business to common problems. This points to the 
importance of observing carefully the requirements for success. 

The South Carolina Cotton Growers’ Cooperative Marketing As¬ 
sociation, after a year of actual achievement has been put upon a 
solid foundation. The wisdom of collective action in a business 
way by farmers has been clearly demonstrated. It is the duty of 
the cotton grower to line up with this organization; for its highest 
effectiveness cannot be attained until it handles the entire cotton 
crop. Then it will be in position to secure a fair price for the 
farmers’ cotton at all times, year in and year out. 


86 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


Livestock 

Anderson County farmers should raise all their livestock at home. 
They have made decided progress in livestock raising during the 
last decade. Anderson County ranked second in the State in 
value of livestock raised per capita in 1920, with $21.03. Edgefield 
led with $22.06; Charleston was last with $1.71 per capita. Anderson 
County ranked first in the State in percentage increase in hog 
raising between 1910-1920, with 276 per cent. Spartanburg was 
second with 204 per cent; Hampton was last with 49 per cent de¬ 
crease. Anderson County ranked tenth in the State in the per¬ 
centage increase of poultry of all kinds from 1910-1920, with 61.5 
per cent. Charleston led with 97.4 per cent; Berkeley was last 
with 60.8 per cent decrease. 

Anderson County is too lightly stocked. This information is 
obtained in the following way: Divide the total number of acres 
in farms in the county by five; this gives you 97,022, or the number 
of animal units needed in the county to lightly stock, according 
to farm management specialists. An animal unit is one horse, 
one cow, two colts, five hogs, seven sheep, or 100 hens. Anderson 
County has 38,448 animal units and needs 97,022 to be considered 
a lightly stocked county. Thus the county is short 58,514 animal 
units, or 60 per cent below the level of a lightly stocked farm. 
There has been quite an increase in the production of hogs, dairy 
cows and poultry in the last ten years, but not in proportion to 
the demand for these products. Between 1910 and 1920, the rais¬ 
ing of hogs increased 276 per cent; of poultry 61.5 per cent; and in 
dairy cows 7 per cent. There is still room for further increase, 
as the supply of livestock products does not meet the demand. 

Livestock needed on the farm should be raised on the farm. In 
most cases it is best to raise only enough to consume such farm 
products as it will pay best to feed. The county has a favorable 
climate for livestock production and wonderful opportunities to 
develop livestock farming. 

The following are a few reasons why every farmer should pro¬ 
duce some livestock: 

(1) To supply his own needs; (2) to make diversification and 
rotation of crops pay better; (3) to produce manure for the farm; 
(4) to manufacture farm crops into better paying products, such 
as butter, milk, beef, pork, etc.; (5)' to make money in this way 
instead of depending entirely upon cotton. 

Below is found a list in which is contained statistics along many 
lines concerning the agriculture of the county. These facts were 
obtained largely from the United States Census of 1920. 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 87 

Facts About Anderson County Agriculture 

1st In total number of farms _ 8 910 

Orangeburg second with 8,548; Jasper last with 
1,281. Total number in State, 192,664; percentage 
increase 1910-1920, 9.2 per cent. 


Jasper last with $4,255,029. 

14th—In per cent increase in farm wealth (1910-1920).™ 154.2 

State increase, 143 per cent. 

31st In per capita crop values (based on value of eleven 

leading crops by Bureau of Crop Estimate)_ $115.09 

Calhoun first with $234.01; Charleston last with 
$25.37. 

2nd—In per cent of farm land improved _ 66.7 

Barnwell first with 68.4 per cent; Georgetown last 
with 16.9 per cent. 

1st—In amount spent for implements and machinery 

on improved land per acre _ $11.69 

Barnwell last with $3.84. 

44th—In per cent of total farms owned by negroes_ 3.1 

Beaufort first with 78.3 per cent; Dillon last with 
2.2 per cent. 

10th—In per cent of mortgaged farms of total number 

(1920) __ 8.6 

Oconee first with 14.7 per cent; Marlboro last with 
2.6 per cent. 

41st—In per cent of negro farms mortgaged (1910). 43.6 

Beaufort first with 1.4 per cent. 

17th—In per cent of farm tenancy (1920)_ 72.7 

Marlboro first with 85.6 per cent; Beaufort last 
with 14.9 per cent. 

40th—In per cent of total area in woodland _.'._ 20 

Horry first with 43.1 per cent; Beaufort last with 
15.4 per cent. 

44th—In per cent woodland is of farms - 26 

Horry first with 72 per cent; Barnwell last with 25 
per cent. 

25th—In per cent assessed value of land per acre is of 

census value _ 11.8 

Jasper first with 22.9 per cent. 

2nd—In value of non-food crops .$17,992,839 

Orangeburg first with $18,216,362; Jasper last with 
$471,371. 
















88 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


10th—In corn production per acre (in bushels)- 19.1 

Charleston first with 23.6 bushels; Barnwell last 
with 9.5 bushels. State average 15 bushels. 

16th—In oat production per acre (in bushels) _ 19.3 

Marlboro first with 28 bushels; Jasper last with 
8.1 bushels. 

23rd—In wheat production per acre (in bushels). 7.7 

Dillon first with 13 bushels. 

27th—In cotton production in pounds per acre_ 239 

Marlboro first with 336 pounds; Beaufort 44th 
with 96 pounds. 

2nd—In cotton production in bales (1920) _ 81,000 

Orangeburg first with 93,000; Jasper last with 400. 

2nd—In value of livestock products per person_ $21.03 

Edgefield first with $22.00; Charleston last with 
$1.71. 

43rd—In beef production per capita (in pounds)- 5.9 

Beaufort first with 129.8; Greenville last with 3.6. 

40th—In pork production per capita (in pounds).._ 41.9 

Horry first with 183.3; York last with 22. 

15th—In poultry production per capita (in pounds)_ 10.1 

Saluda first with 15.4; Charleston last with 2.6. 

10th—In per cent increase of poultry of all kinds (1910- 

1920) _ 61.5 

Charleston first with 97.4 per cent; Berkeley 43rd 
with 60.8 per cent. 

7th—In egg deficit per person (in dozens) _ 7.6 

Lexington first with 2.6; Charleston last with 16.2. 

30th—In per cent increase in number of cattle_ .07 

Dillon first with 1.09 per cent; Abbeville 43rd 
with .61 per cent. 

1st—In per cent increase in hogs ___ 276 

Clarendon 37th with 7 per cent. Six counties show 
decrease. 

22nd—In per cent decrease in sheep _ 48 

Barnwell first with 99 per cent. 













IX. 


BALANCE SHEET IN FOOD AND FEED PRODUCTION 


Olin D. Johnston. 
A. M. Bowen. 


Anderson’s Food and Feed Shortage 

In 1920, Anderson County, with her many resources of soil and 
climate, produced only 43 per cent of the amount of food and feed 
supplies needed to meet the demands of her own population. If 
the population of her city and towns were eliminated, there would 
not have been enough food and feed produced within the county 
to have fed her farmers. 

In Anderson, in 1920, there was a requirement of $14,232,782.83 
worth of food and feed products. The county produced $5,922,803 
worth; which left a shortage of $8,309,984.38. The demand 
had to be met and nothing could be done except call on other 
counties and states to supply the needs of our county. Fortun¬ 
ately, the county had the money to pay for the food and feed sup¬ 
plies it received from without the county, or else it would have 
been in a rather bad situation. Now, as long as the county has 
money the outsiders will be only glad to help supply our demands, 
but if the county’s money crop should fail, the outsiders are liable 
not to be willing to supply our demands. For it is our money 
that makes the outsiders willing to furnish us with food and feed 
products. Furthermore, we would not be due any sympathy from 
the outside world, if our county’s money crop should fail and we 
were not able to secure food and feed supplies from without the 
county. We would be like unto the man that did not make use of 
his talent, but went and buried it. Anderson has a climate and soil 
that is suitable for the production of almost all food and feed pro¬ 
ducts; therefore, it is the duty of Anderson County to not only 
produce enough food and feed supplies to feed her own popula¬ 
tion but she should help feed other parts of the world that are less 
fortunate. 

One of the reasons why the state of South Carolina ranks so 
low in wealth and salaries paid to those running the government 
is due to the fact that the State sends millions of dollars out of 




90 Anderson County: Economic and Social 

the State each year to pay for goods imported into our State, that 
could easily be produced at a profit within the State. So much 
money is sent out of the State yearly and such a little amount 
comes back to the State by our export of food and feed supplies 
that it has become almost impossible to run any part of our gov¬ 
ernment on a high plane. This matter of not producing sufficient 
food and feed supplies to meet the demands of the people affects 
the state or county, directly and indirectly, in many ways. It has 
greatly retarded our schools; for, the State prepares many students 
for the teaching profession and instead of their teaching in this 
state, they teach in others states. Why do we find this the case? 
It is because the state of South Carolina does not compete with the 
other states in salaries paid teachers. One of the reasons South 
Carolina cannot compete with the other states is due to the fact 

that she has to pay them real cash for the food and feed supplies 

she imports from them. 

In 1920, the value of the non-food crops produced in Anderson 
County was $17,992,839. Cotton was the principal non-food crop. 
It is true that the county’s value of non-food crops surpassed the 
value of the amount of food and feed supplies needed. But the 
thing that gives Anderson County a black eye, is that most of the 
money that our non-food crops bring is sent outside of the county 
and State, leaving very little money in circulation within the coun¬ 
ty. There is no valid excuse for the existing condition, for the 

soil and climate of Anderson County with very little effort will 

grow almost any of the food commodities at a profit. It behooves 
Anderson County to raise these supplies and keep our money at 
home, for wealth retention is equally as important as wealth pro¬ 
duction in the progress of a county. 

Shortage in Detail 

In 1920 the shortage for Anderson County consisted of the fol¬ 
lowing: 1,488,246 pounds of meat; 1,397,359 pounds of butter; 
696,609 fowls; 1,127,475 bushels of corn; 262,552 bushels of wheat; 
586,682 dozens of eggs; 12,089 tons of hay. 

There is a similar shortage in Anderson County year after year, 
and it will continue to be the case until something is done to rid 
our farmers of the idea that they must raise crops that can be im¬ 
mediately turned into ready cash. The boll weevil will probably 
do its part towards remedying the situation. 

There are 8,910 farms in Anderson County. If each farm would 
produce an additional 177 pounds of meat, 157 pounds of butter, 
79 fowls, 127 bushels of corn, 29 bushels of wheat, 66 dozens eggs, 
and 1.2 tons of hay, all of the shortage of the county would be 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 91 


eliminated, and each farm would be worth on an average $932.65 
more, and the county would become $8,309,984.38 richer annually. 

Reasons for Shortage 

There are three main factors that make our county fail to be a 
self-feeding one: (1) The system of farm tenancy; (2) the one- 
crop system; and (3) the lack of a good local marketing system. 

In 1910, 63 per cent of the farms of South Carolina were oper¬ 
ated by tenants. Farm tenancy in South Carolina had increased 
to 64.5 per cent in 1920. Farm tenancy has been increasing since 
1880, for in that year there were only 50.3 per cent of the farms in 
the State operated by tenants. All of the Southern States show 
an increase during the same period. 

Tenancy is also increasing in Anderson County. Of the 8,910 
farms in Anderson County in 1920, 6,475, or 72.7 per cent, were 
operated by tenants; while in 1910, there were 8,163 farms in the 
county with 5,852 farms, or 71.7 per cent operated by tenants. 
That the production of food and feed crops is affected by this sys¬ 
tem can be easily recognized by a little thought. The tenant exists 
on the supply merchant and time-credit sytem, and as this is true, 
it is almost imperative that he grow a money crop such as cotton. 
If farm tenancy were decreased our production of feed and food 
crops would naturally increase. We can hardly blame the tenant 
for planting cotton, for he is forever shifting from one farm to 
another, the average stay being a little over two years in one place, 
and naturally he must raise cotton in order to pay his rent, as 
most of the landlords rent their farms for so many bales of cotton 
annually. Thus the landlords make the raising of cotton a necess¬ 
ity by the tenants. When every tenant becomes his own creditor, 
his own landlord, and an adequate market for food and feed crops 
is established, then will the county be able to retain within its 
borders most of the eight million dollars sent out of the county 

annually. .. 

In 1920 Anderson County consumed food and feed supplies 
amounting to $14,232,787, while the county only produced $5,922,803 
worth, or 43 per cent. We have two kinds of tenants in Anderson 
County: (1) Cash tenants, and (2) share tenants. In 1920, 69.3 
per cent of the tenants in the county were share tenants, and 24.2 
per cent were cash tenants. Share tenants, which group composes 
about two-thirds of our tenants, are more inclined to grow a money 
crop than cash tenants. As long as our present system ot farming 
prevails, the money crops will continue to increase and the food 
^nd feed crops will continue to decrease. 

Another main factor preventing an interest in a surplus produc- 


92 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 


tion of food and feed crops is the lack of a proper system of market¬ 
ing the food and feed produced. There is a system of marketing for 
the large staple crops. The farmer has little trouble in receiving 
ready cash for his cotton in a very short while. But one of the 
greatest tasks the farmer has, is turning into ready cash his food 
and feed crops; for, in most instances he must peddle the products 
in the city, lose considerable time, and, in case the local market 
is glutted by imported goods, he will have to dump his produce 
at a sacrifice. He returns home determined never to plant any¬ 
thing but cofton. One cannot afford to labor in the production 
of a commodity and have no guarantee of receiving anything in 
return for his service. This is the situation the farmers find them¬ 
selves in when they raise food and feed crops. The cotton farmer 
would not raise cotton if there was any doubt as to whether or 
not there would be a market for it. The demand for cotton is 
perpetual; also, for food and feed supplies. Then a similar mar¬ 
ket should be provided for food and feed crops if we want our 
farmers to grow a surplus of food and feed supplies. 

The Remedy 

There is always a remedy for every problem but very often after 
the remedy has been found it is a difficult task to get the public 
to put it into practice. The following seems to be a solution to 
the problem. First, there must be an adequate local market es¬ 
tablished for home raised food and feed products. If an efficient 
local market were established the problem of cutting the “high cost 
of living” would also be solved. By establishing a local market 
you can sell the produce cheaper, for you have eliminated a horde 
of middlemen that necessarily are getting their just commissions 
today for handling the commodities. It has been estimated that 
if all middlemen were eliminated-one could buy for 28 cents what 
he is paying one dollar for now. The consumer and producer must 
be brought closer together by some means; the farmer receiving 
what he should for his products and the consumer receiving a rea¬ 
sonable amount of products for his money. By eliminating this 
vast horde of middlemen a better understanding could be estab¬ 
lished between farmers and consumers, for heretofore the consumer 
has been laying all the blame on the farmer, the farmer all the 
blame on the consumer, while the middlemen has been in “no¬ 
man’s land” resting easy as the bullets were whistling high over 
his head. This complex system that separates the farmer and con¬ 
sumer must be dethroned. There has been a continuous increase 
in the number of middlemen between the producer and consumer 
for several years, which has caused the purchasing power of the 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 


93 


consumer’s dollar to decrease almost 'to the breaking point. Now, 
the problem of the “high cost of living” will be solved if the pro¬ 
ducer and consumer are brought closer together by establishing 
an efficient local market. 

What the Banks Can Do 

The bankers can do their part and it is their duty to help the 
farmers out as much as possible. A great deal of money was 
loaned to farmers in 1918 and 1919, but not all was loaned in a sys¬ 
tematic way. Farmers were loaned money with which to purchase 
automobiles, build expensive homes, and for other luxuries of life. 
The bankers did not advise the farmers to be cautious and go slow 
with the money; instead, they made it possible for the farmer to 
buy up enormous tracts of land that would have taken them years 
to pay for, even if times had continued to remain prosperous. 
This was a mistake on the part of the banker and he should be 
willing to do his part towards remedying the situation. When 
farmers become educated to the fact that it is to their advantage 
to pay cash, then they will have made one great step forward. 
There are many bad effects from the farmer’s buying on time. It 
encourages them to buy things that they cannot afford, and at the 
same time pay the expense of collection and the bad debts of other 
farmers as well as a high rate of interest on what they buy. 

The money loaned to these farmers during the years of pros¬ 
perity must be paid back. Now, the rate at which it is going to 
be paid back will be determined to a certain extent by the amount 
of money kept at home. In order to help keep the money at home 
the bankers should follow the plan of the Texas bankers. They 
refuse to loan merchants money doing a cotton crop lien business. 
They also require of the farmer that he put a certain percentage 
of his farm in food and feed crops; thus encouraging every farmer 
to raise his food and feed supplies at home. It is the duty of the 
bankers to reduce the cotton acreage by this method and help An¬ 
derson County get back on a normal basis. 

The Farmer’s Duty 

The farmer’s part in relieving this situation can be summed up 
in one word, “cooperation.” Individualism is one of the striking 
characteristics of all South Carolinians, and very much so in An¬ 
derson County. This individualism among farmers should be 
broken down enough to allow more cooperation among the farm¬ 
ers, bankers, and different organizations. Anderson County is one 
pf the best organized counties in the State, if a county can be judged 


94 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


by the number of organizations it has within its borders. The 
various organizations in Anderson County have practically the 
same end in view, but there seems to be not quite enough cooper¬ 
ation with each other in obtaining this end. Each and every one 
of the organizations was organized to help promote progress in 
Anderson County. But in many instances the organization finds 
itself hopelessly at a loss to help the person needing help simply 
because he will not accept assistance. A number of men may or¬ 
ganize to help a friend in need and yet not be able to accomplish 
anything if the friend absolutely refuses to be helped. The farmers 
are rather skeptical about many of the organizations, which con¬ 
dition should not exist. But in recent years the farmers have be¬ 
gun to realize the value of these various organizations and are co¬ 
operating with them. If they continue to increase their coopera- 
is now hidden beneath the dark clouds that are hanging over our 
heads. 

Cotton, as we all know, is our chief money crop. It is not our 
intention to disparage the growing of this crop, for even under the 
boll weevil conditions it can be profitably grown after the farmers 
learn some means to destroy the “soul trying pest.” It seems 
very likely that cotton will continue to be the chief money crop 
in Anderson County, but we hope not the only, as it has been in 
the past. In the following table it will be seen to what extent and 
in what particulars that Anderson County fails to raise enough 
food and feed products to supply her own people. These condi¬ 
tions should not exist in a county like Anderson. 

Anderson County’s Balance Sheet in Food and Feed Production: 

1919 


1. Food and Feed Needed Yearly: 

76,349 people @ $161.28 __$12,313,566.72 

13,167 work animals @ $75.75.. 997,400.25 

18,470 dairy cattle @ $35.67___ 658,824.90 

1,445 other cattle @ $12.55__ 16,234.75 

128 sheep @ $3.44 _:..__ 440.32 

19,154 swine @ $12.86 ___ 246,320.44 


Total food and feed required _$14,232,787.38 

2. Food and Feed Produced (1919): 

Food and feed crops . $4,019,326.00 

Dairy products . 777,496.00 

Poultry products - 727,966.00 















Anderson County: Economic and Social 95 


Honey and wax 

Animals sold and slaughtered 

. 387,588.00 

Total food and feed produced 

Shortage in food and feed . 

Cotton and other non-food crops 

.$5,922,803.00 

. 8,309,984.38 

. 17,992,839.00 


Distribution of Food and Feed Shortage 

1. Meat needed for 76,349 people @ 152 pounds_ 11,605,048 

(a) Meat produced: 

4,686 calves @150 pounds _ 692,900 

13,784 cattle @ 350 pounds_4^24,400 

219,579 poultry @ 35 pounds . 768,722 

19,154 swine @ 200 pounds _3,830,800 

- 10,116,822 


Shortage _ 

. 1,488,246 

2. Butter needed for 76,349 people @ 48 pounds 
Butter produced . 

. 3,664,752 

. 1,267,392 

Deficit in pounds per year ..._. 

. 1,397,357 

3. Eggs needed for 76,349 people @ 1 TV 2 dozens_ 

Eggs produced (dozens) .. 

_ 1,336,108 

_ 749,426 

Deficit in dozens . 

586,682 

4. Pork needed for 76,349 people @ 12 fowls. 

Fowls produced . 

. 916,188 

. 219,579 

Deficit in fowls . 

_ 696,609 

5. Corn needed for 76,349 people @ 31 bushels.. 

Corn produced . 

. 2,367,819 

. 1,240,344 

Deficit . 

. 1,127,475 

6. Wheat needed for 76,349 people @ 4 bushels .. 

_ 305,376 


Wheat produced .— 42,844 


Deficit 


262,552 
















































9f> Anderson County: Economic and Social 

7. Hay needed for 13,169 work animals @ 10 pounds 

per day (tons) -----— -— 23,533 

Hay produced __ 11,444 


Deficit yearly _ 12,089 

Anderson County Livestock Census: 1920 

1. Animal units on hand: 

14,219 mature work animals (1) - 14,219 

157 spring colts (1-4) - - - —4 " ^9 

13,917 dairy cows (1) .-.v- 13,917 

8,754 other cattle (1-2) .. 4,377 

301 yearling colts (1-2)' . — 151 

13,937 mature hogs (1-5) .-..-» 2,787 

7,448 spring hogs (1-10) - 745 

104 mature sheep (1-7) -,-- 15 

24 lambs (1-14) . — 2 

219,579 poultry (1-100) __ 2,196 


Total animal units .....« 38,448 

2. Animal units needed: 

485,110 acres in farms divided by 5.— 97,022 


Deficit in units ----- 58,574 

Per cent of animals in a lightly stocked farm area.~ 40 

Per cent Anderson County is below level-- 60 

Note: A lightly stocked farm area means one animal unit for 
every five (5) acres. An animal unit equals one horse, one cow, 
two colts, five hogs, seven sheep, or one hundred fowls. 

Facts About Food and Feed Production in Anderson County: 1920 

lie low is tabulated a list which should be interesting to most 
every one in the county. The facts were derived mostly from the 
1920 Census. 

2nd—In corn production in bushels . 1,240,344 

Orangeburg County ranked first with 1,460,318 
bushels; Jasper County was last with 154,526 
bushels. Total for 'State 27,472,013 bushels. 

10th— In bushels of corn produced per acre. 19.1 

Charleston County was first with 23.6 bushels; 
































Anderson County: Economic and Social 


97 


Barnwell County was last with 9.5 bushels; State 
average, 15 bushels. 

30th In number of bushels of corn produced per capita 
Calhoun County was first with 31.8 bushels; 
Charleston County was last with 4.2 bushels; State 
average, 16.3 bushels. Number of bushels needed 
per capita, 31; deficit per capita, 14.8 bushels. 

I s *—Hi increase in corn production in bushels, between 

1910 and 1920 _______ 

Hampton County was last with a decrease of 
334,845 bushels. 

3rd—In percentage increase in corn production . 

Charleston was first with 108.2 per cent increase; 
Hampton was last with a decrease of 50.6 per cent. 

3rd—In number of bushels of wheat produced_ 

Lexington County was first with 68,156 bushels; 
Beaufort and Jasper Counties none. Total for 
State, 630,911 bushels. 

23rd—In number of bushels of wheat produced per acre 
Dillon County was first with 13 bushels. State 
average 7.4 bushels. 

6th—In number of bushels of wheat produced per 

Lexington County was first with 1.9 bushels. 
Number of bushels needed per capita was 4. De¬ 
ficit 3.4 bushels per capita, or total deficit county 
was 259,586 bushels. 

12th—In number of tons of hay and forage produced. 

Orangeburg County was first with 19,775 tons; 
Jasper County was last with 1,835 tons. 

43rd—In pounds of beef produced per capita. 

Beaufort County was first with 129.8 pounds; 
Greenville County was last with 3.6 pounds. State 
average 17.8 pounds. Needed 150 pounds per cap¬ 
ita. Deficit in county was 144.1 pounds per capita. 
The total deficit of county was 11,001,891 pounds. 
40th—In number of pounds of pork produced per capita 
Horry County was first with 183.3 pounds; York 
County was last with 22 pounds. 

1st—In percentage increase in hogs raised between 

1910-1920 .1-- 

Hampton County was last with a decrease of 49 
per cent. 


16.2 

577,080 

87 

42,844 

7.7 

.6 

11,444 

5.9 

41.9 

276 










98 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


15th—In number of pounds of poultry produced per 

capita ............._. 10.1 

Saluda County was first with 154 pounds; Charles¬ 
ton County was last with 2.6. Needed 13 pounds 
per capita. Deficit 2.9 pounds per capita. Total 
deficit of county 222,412 pounds. 

7th—In number of pounds of butter produced per capita 16.6 

Cherokee County was first with 23.6 pounds per 
capita; Charleston County was last with 0.1 pounds. 

State average 8.2 pounds per capita. Needed 48 
pounds per capita. Deficit 31.4 pounds. Total 
deficit of county 2,397,358 pounds. 


i 




X. 


EVIDENCES OF PROGRESS 


Frank T. Meeks. 


In 1910 the population of Anderson County was 69,567. Of this 
total 43,232 were white and 26,335 negro. In 1920 the population 
was 76,349; 50,037 being white and 26,312 negro. This gives an in¬ 
crease in total population from 1910 to 1920 of 6,782, or 9.75 per 
cent. During this time the negro population decreased approxi¬ 
mately one per cent and the white population increased 15.7 per 
cent. Of the total population in 1920, 65.5 per cent were white 
and 34.5 per cent negro. Our population per square mile is 100.7; 
only four other counties have a greater density. Only one county 
has a larger rural population per square mile. Spartanburg has 
93.6; we have 86.8. 

Taking into consideration the idle lands of the rural districts 
and the fact that the towns, under favorable circumstances, can 
support almost an unlimited population, we see no reason why the 
population of Anderson County cannot grow more. 

Wealth 

Before giving any figures as to the wealth of Anderson County, 
perhaps, it would be best to show the way by which those figures 
were arrived at. The law of South Carolina requires property to 
be returned at 100 per cent of its value. In actual practice, how¬ 
ever, according to the United States census reports, the value re¬ 
turned is nearer 25 per cent of the actual value, except as to bank 
stock, which is returned at 42 per cent. Therefore, the census 
basis is the one that has been used in estimating the actual value 
of property from the assessed value. 

On January 1, 1920, according to the report of the South Caro¬ 
lina Tax Commission, the total assessed value of all property in 
Anderson County was $22,190,410. The actual value was approx¬ 
imately $88,761,640. This represents an increase of $37,321,748, or 
approximately 72 per cent over the total wealth of the county in 
1910. We now hold the rank of 5th in total wealth among the 
counties of the State. We rank 4th in per capita wealth, having 
an average wealth per person of $1,162.44. 




100 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


Our farm wealth in 1900 was $8,953,545; in 1910 it was $24,243,- 
245, and in 1920 it had reached $61,635,825. This represents an in¬ 
crease from 1900 to 1910 of 170 per cent, and from 1910 to 1920 of 
154.2 per cent. Our farm wealth is something to be proud of be¬ 
cause Anderson County holds first place among the counties of 
the State in total farm wealth. The total value of all crops in 
1909 Was $6,096,039 and in 1919 it was $22,012,165. Orangeburg 
is the only county in the State that had a greater crop value in 
either of these years. In 1909 Orangeburg had a value of $1,361,- 
188 greater than ours, while in 1919 her value was only $892,811 
greater than ours. This will show that our per cent gain was 
greater than that of Orangeburg, and that we are steadily gaining 
on the leader. According to the above figures, we have a per cap¬ 
ita crop value of $288.30. This increase of farm wealth and crop 
value is very encouraging when we consider the fact that Ander¬ 
son County is dependent to such a large extent on agriculture. 

Our total bank resources in 1914 were $5,137,594.19 and in 1920 
they were $15,964,641. The per capita resources in 1914 were 
$73.85, and in 1920 the gain was $209. This gives us an increase 
of 210.7 per cent in total resources and 183 per cent in per capita 
resources in six years. In 1920 only four counties in the State 
had a larger total of bank resources than Anderson County. Only 
three counties had a larger surplus fund and only five a larger 
surplus per capita. Our total surplus fund in 1920 was $686,387. 
We ranked 4th in loans and discounts with a total of $11,168,259. 
Our loans and discounts per capita were $148, giving us the rank of 
5th. Our total savings deposits were $1,651,191. This total gives 
us 6th place. Our savings per capita were $22. The standing of 
our banks is something of which we may be justly proud. A large 
part of our business is carried on through the banks and such a 
large increase in bank resources, loans and discounts, and similar 
items, is an evidence of growing prosperity. 

Another thing that will help to show the wealth of our county 
is the fact that during the World War we subscribed 107 per cent 
of our Liberty Loan quotas. Only nine counties subscribed a 
larger per cent. 

The total number of automobiles and trucks in Anderson County 
in 1920 was 6,086. We have an automobile for every 12.5 inhab¬ 
itants. Only one county in the State had more automobiles and 
only one less inhabitants per automobile. 

Agriculture 

The welfare and prosperity of Anderson County is to a large ex¬ 
tent determined by the welfare and prosperity of the agricultural 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 101 


producers of the county. Any advance made in agriculture means 
an advance for the county as a whole. Anderson County is a coun¬ 
ty that can justly be proud of its agriculture. We have a county 
that ranks with the best in the South in agriculture. To say the 
least, no county in the State can claim a better average. 

In the last decade we have made great strides forward in agri¬ 
culture as well as other things. The value of our farm property 
increased from $24,243,245 in 1910 to $61,635,823 in 1920, an increase 
of 154.2 per cent. Only a few counties in the State had a greater 
per cent increase and none a larger total increase. The number 
of farms increased from 8,163 in 1910 to 8,910 in 1920. No county 
in the State has a larger number of farms. We have spent $11.69 
per acre for implements and machinery on improved land. We 
had improved, up to 1920, 66.7 per cent of our total farm land. 
No county in the State has spent more per acre for implements 
and machinery for improvement and only one has a greater per 
cent of its land improved. Another thing we can be proud of is 
that 97 per cent of our farms are owned by the whites. 

We ranked second in the State in the total value of all crops and 
of non-food crops in 1919. The value of our non-food crops was 
$17,992,839, and that of all crops, $22,012,165. We produced in 
1921, 63,000 bales of cotton * only one county produced more. Our 
corn production in 1920 was 1,240,344 bushels, an increase of 577,- 
080 bushels or 87 per cent over the production of 1910. We ranked 
first in number of bushels increase, and third in per cent increase, 
and we ranked second in the number of bushels produced. We 
produced 19.1 bushels per acre; only nine counties produced more. 
We produced only .6 bushels of wheat per capita, but only five 
counties produced more. In hay and forage production we rank 
12th, with a production of 11,444 tons in 1920. 

Anderson County is an agricultural county. We have made 
great progress in agriculture in the way of improving lands and 
also in the amount produced. But a large per cent of our farm 
land is either idle or unimproved. If these thousands of acres 
were improved and cultivated, Anderson County would leap far 
ahead of the other counties of the State. We have made great 
strides forward in the past, but we look for still greater improve¬ 
ments in the future. We want to progress. 

The following article on agriculture was taken from the Uni¬ 
versity Weekly News: 

“Four of the fifty leading agricultural counties in the United 
States are in South Carolina, according to a census report just 
issued. The fifty counties listed by the government lead in the 
combined value of crops and livestock products. In this order the 


102 Anderson County : Economic and Social 


four South Carolina counties hold twenty-third, twenty-fourth, 
thirty-eighth and forty-seventh places. If the value of crops alone 
should be considered these counties would take much higher ranks, 
as many of the counties listed around the top produce much more 
livestock products than the counties in this State. 

“Only four Southern States have counties in the select fifty. 
South Carolina and Texas have four each, North Carolina three 
and Mississippi one. The four counties in South Carolina are An¬ 
derson, Orangeburg, Spartanburg and Marlboro in the order 
named, and the value of the crops and livestock products of each 
is as follows: Anderson, $23,528,158; Orangeburg, $23,427,879; 
Spartanburg, $20,887,542; Marlboro, $19,419,921.” 

Livestock 

For the decade 1910 to 1920, Anderson County shows a large 
increase in livestock and livestock products. In some items wc 
ranked first in the State in increase, while in others our increase 
was small. 

The value of all domestic animals on farms for 1920 was $3,833, 
405; only one county in the State has a greater value. We pro¬ 
duced in 1920, 10.1 pounds of poultry, 16.6 pounds of butter, 5.9 
pounds of beef, and 41.9 pounds of pork per person. The total 
value of our livestock products per person was $21.03. From 1910 
to 1920 our number of hogs increased 276 per cent. This increase 
gives us first place in the State. It is of great economic value to 
a county to produce its own meat and Anderson County produces 
a large per cent of its pork. The increase in poultry of all kinds 
was 61.5 per cent, and in cattle .07. per cent. We ranked third in 
the State in the production of honey, producing 39,520 pounds. 
Tn the value of dairy products and the value of chickens and eggs 
produced we led the State, with a total value for dairy products 
of $727,966. There are several other things in which we show an 
increase, and in which we hold a creditable position, but these few 
are enough to show that Anderson County is progressing and that 
she ranks with the leaders of the State in the value of livestock 
and livestock products. 


Textiles 

We have in Anderson County 19 textile establishments. Spar¬ 
tanburg and Greenville are the only counties that have more. 
These two counties are also the only ones that have more capital 
invested in textile industries and that have a greater annual pro¬ 
duction. We have $16,570,493 invested in textile industries and 
have an annual production of $32,770,924. 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 103 


In the past few years we have made great progress in the de¬ 
velopment of property owned by textile establishments and in the 
betterment of living conditions of the employees. During the 
years of 1920 and 1921 all of the mills made large improvements, 
such as improving the streets and paving the sidewalks, putting 
water and lights in the houses. Some have remodeled and painted 
the houses and some have made many improvements around the 
mills themselves. In all the villages we find churches and school 
houses. The schools in all the villages are good and in some we 
find them as good as can be found in any city. Some of the vil¬ 
lages have community halls for entertainment and recreation. 
Many have libraries and reading rooms where the people can find 
good books and many of the best magazines. Many have play¬ 
grounds for the children and all of them have a community worker. 
Coal and wood can be bought at cost plus the charge of hauling, 
and house rent is exceedingly cheap. 

Anderson County Schools 

Taken as a whole, Anderson County schools rank far above the 
general average of the schools of the State. In 1921 the index 
number for the schools of the State was 29.39, while that of An¬ 
derson County was 47.80, showing that our schools are in good 
condition compared with those of the State. In a large per cent 
of the things relating to schools Anderson County ranks as a 
leader among the counties of the State, but in a few our rank is 
very low. 

During the past few years we have made a large percentage 
gain in most of these things. Our index number tor 1911 was 
27.49 while that of 1921 was 47.80. This fact shows a considera¬ 
ble increase in the average of our schools. Nevertheless, we have 
not reached perfection, and we look forward to a still greater ad¬ 
vance in the future. 

The total value of all our school property is $1,079,302. In this 
respect we rank fourth. We rank sixth in per capita investment 
in school property. In per capita expenditures according to en¬ 
rollment, both white and negro, we rank eighth. The per capita 
expenditure for whites is $22.75, but for both races it is only $15.66. 

The average length of session in white town schools is 175 days 
and for white country schools 133 days. We rank 13th in both of 
these items. The average length of session for all white schools 
of the county is 142 days and for all negro schools 83 days. 

We had an average number of white pupils to the school, ac¬ 
cording to enrollment, of 137. We rank 4th in this respect. The 
average number of negro pupils to school, according to enroll- 


104 Anderson County : Economic and Social 


ment, is 87. We rank 4th in average number of white pupils to 
teacher, according to enrollment, with an average of 37. The 
average number of negro pupils to teacher, according to enroll¬ 
ment, is 62. 

We believe that year after year Anderson County has increased 
the efficiency of her teaching staff. We have seen the need for 
better teachers, and to secure them, we have offered higher sal¬ 
aries. From 1909 to 1919 the average annual salary of white men 
teachers was increased 77 per cent. That of white women teachers 
for the same period was increased 27 per cent. We now rank 12th 
in the State in the average salaries paid to women teachers. With 
a teaching staff that is growing better and more efficient each 
year, we see no reason why Anderson County schools should not 
advance rapidly in the future. 

We must not forget that the value of our school property has 
had a great increase in the last few years. From 1910 to 1921, the 
value of all school property increased 250 per cent. This increase 
was made largely by the erection of new buildings and additions 
to old ones. All over the county we see new and beautiful school 
buildings. The new Anderson High School building, completed 
in 1919, is an example. In communities where new buildings have 
not been put up we find that in most cases additions have been 
made to the old buildings. With larger and better buildings, more 
efficient teachers, and more money to operate the schools we feel 
sure that Anderson County stands at the door of a new era of 
progress in education. 


Chamber of Commerce 

The Anderson Chamber of Commerce -was first organized about 
fifteen years ago, at a time when the town of Anderson was just 
beginning to develop into a small city. During the first few years 
a part-time secretary was employed, who perhaps gave only a few 
hours a week to the work of the newly organized commercial body. 
It seems to be a question as to whether the commercial organiza¬ 
tion at that time was called a Board of Trade or a Chamber of 
Commerce. However, in recent years the commercial organization 
of Anderson has been known as the Chamber of Commerce, this 
title having been adopted by practically seventy per cent of the 
cities of the country. At first thought, the name by which the 
commercial organization of a city or town is known might not be 
considered of great improtance; however, the name “Board of 
Trade” does not always signify a commercial organization. Neither 
does a name other than the Chamber of Commerce convey the 


One of Anderson’s High Schools 




























































' 







. 


















# 






















Anderson County: Economic and Social 105 


idea of commerce and trade from an organized standpoint in for¬ 
eign countries. 

The records that are available indicate that Anderson’s first com¬ 
mercial organization consisted of a group of probably twenty-five 
or thirty business men banded together for the purpose of doing 
anything for the betterment of the town in which they lived. 
This group of live wires adopted the most excellent slogan, 
“Anderson Is My Town,” and which slogan is still used in boost¬ 
ing the city. In addition to being known as “My Town,” Ander¬ 
son is also known throughout the country as the “Electric City,” 
one of the first long distance transmission electric lines in the 
country having been built from the Portman Shoals hydro-electric 
plant to the city. Another just claim for the “Electric City” re¬ 
sults from the fact that Anderson was a pioneer in the exclusive 
use of electricity. A number of the large groups of textile man¬ 
ufacturing plants in the city were among the first industrial plants 
in the country to use hydro-electric power. Also the extensive de¬ 
velopment of a hydro-electric plant in this district is still another 
entitlement. 

For a number of years the Chamber of Commerce has employed 
a full-time Secretary as the executive officer. The Chamber has 
been divided into several departments known as bureaus, among 
which are the Merchants’ Bureau, Traffic Bureau, Tourist and 
Convention Bureau, and the Fair Bureau. Also, the organization, 
for the purpose of specializing with the best results, has active 
committees on Agriculture, Industries, Finance, Civic, Entertain¬ 
ment, Mercantile Affairs, Publicity, Education, Transportation, 
Membership, and Good Roads. These committees are not merely 
committees in name but are actively engaged from time to time 
in carrying out various phases of the work that come under their 
jurisdiction and the general development of the city. As an ex¬ 
ample, in 1921 the Agricultural Committee planned and carried 
out the first free Agricultural Fair in this section of the country, 
and one of the few in the South. The work involved in putting 
on a big Fair, representing six of the agricultural counties of the 
Southeast grew in such proportions that a Fair Bureau was organ¬ 
ized to take over all the work in connection with this project. The 
Anderson Fair is now an established institution and some idea of 
the success attained by the first effort may be realized in the fact 
that the first fair was the best attended during the year among 
the fairs of the State. 

The Mercantile Affairs Committee in the last few years found it 
necessary to recommend the establishment of a Merchant’s Bu¬ 
reau. This bureau has succeeded in putting over some of the 


106 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


biggest Trades Day events in the Piedmont section of South Car¬ 
olina. Perhaps the most notable achievements have been the very 
successful Dollar Day Sales, which have attracted wide-spread at¬ 
tention and placed an almost unbelievable amount of cash money 
in circulation in every instance that they have been held. 

The Merchants’ Bureau renders another very distinct and valua¬ 
ble service to the city in that it confines advertising among its 
members to strictly legitimate lines. The cooperation in every 
way among the merchants of the city, by virtue of the establish¬ 
ment of the bureau, has made possible development in a very grat¬ 
ifying way that could not otherwise have been brought about. 

The Transportation Committee has been very active in recent 
years in improving all branches of transportation, not only on 
steam and electric lines, but in the establishment of bus lines to 
nearby points. Improved mail and express service have also been 
brought about by the committees. 

Inasmuch as this is not a report on the work which the Chamber 
of Commerce has brought about and is striving to do, we will not 
go further into detail, but the above are merely mentioned among 
a large number of other undertakings to give some idea of its de¬ 
velopment and the present scope of its work. 

From a small second floor office, the organization has moved 
since its beginning to a number of more advantageous locations, 
until now it occupies a large first floor storeroom in the center 
of the business section. The Hall, as it is called, provides not 
only for the executive office of the Chamber of Commerce, but 
also office space for the County Demonstration Agent and Home 
Demonstration Agent. Also, at times, space has been allotted to 
other organizations representing the county at large, such as the 
Cotton Grader, and the Farmers’ Cooperative Marketing Associa¬ 
tion. The quarters of the Chamber of Commerce are also used 
as a meeting place for a large number of organizations such as the 
American Legion, Boy Scouts, the Medical Association, the School 
Trustees and various civic organizations. 

The membership of the Chamber of Commerce has increased 
steadily in the last few years until the enrollment now reaches 
about four hundred. The actual basis of a membership fee is $25 
per annum, which corresponds to a standard adopted by practically 
all the larger commercial organizations throughout the country. 
Some of the business firms and individuals of this city carry plural 
memberships, in some instances as many as four being taken. 

The part played by the commercial organization in the develop¬ 
ment of good roads, education, the establishment of new indus¬ 
tries, and civic improvements might be outlined: however, the 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 107 


Chamber of Commerce should never claim all the credit for ac¬ 
complishments along any particular line in the development of 
communities however prominent the part that has been taken. 
After all the commercial organization belongs to the people of a 
community, and is merely the grouping of individuals who believe 
in intelligent cooperation and the wonderful results that it will 
bring about. 


The Farm Demonstration Agent 

The farm demonstration agents have played a grea* part in the 
development of Anderson County agriculture in the last few years. 
These agents, under the supervision of the Agricultural Extension 
Service at Clemson College, convey the most intelligent and up- 
to-date information direct and in a practical way to the farmer 
and his family. They are enabled to cover considerable territory 
and to convey a maximum amount of information to a large num¬ 
ber of people in a short period of time by the excellent system of 
roads throughout the county. 

Anderson County is taking high rank among the agricultural 
counties of the South, being surpassed only by Bolivas County, 
Mississippi, in the value of its farm products. It also ranks twen¬ 
ty-third among the agricultural counties of the nation. The soils 
and climate are such that a large variety of crops can be grown 
successfully and profitably. All over the county there arc beauti¬ 
ful, comfortable country homes, many of which arc equipped with 
modern conveniences. The farms are small in size, averaging less 
than 50 acres per farm. The farmers are prosperous and progress¬ 
ive, and rank among the best in the land. They arc wide awake 
people, looking into the future with confidence. They have faith 
in their ability to meet the changing conditions brought about by 
the advent of the boll weevil. 

The old one-crop system of farming is giving way to a new 
diversified agriculture. The farms are becoming largely self-sus¬ 
taining. The per acre yields of corn, cotton, small grains and other 
staple crops have been wonderfully increased during the past ten 
or fifteen years. In many cases, this increase is 30 or 40 per cent. 
These wonderful increases are due to improved methods of farm¬ 
ing which include better fertilizing, better seeds, and the improve¬ 
ment of soil fertility by the use of summer and winter legumes 
and other cover crops and by farm manures. 

Cotton, long king, wili remain the principal cash crop, but it is 
being backed up by livestock, poultry, dairying, and a variety of 
satisfactory crops which include alfalfa, corn, soy aftd velvet beans, 
plovers, vetches and similar crops. 


108 Anderson County : Economic and Social 


Alfalfa is proving highly profitable as a forage crop. The acre¬ 
age devoted to this crop has increased from year to year until now 
it is surpassed by only one county in the State in the acreage 
grown. 

Considerable interest has been manifested in recent years in the 
improvement of soil fertility by the use of summer and winter 
legumes and other cover crops. By the use of these crops, many 
a farm that had been run down by poor farm practices and the 
continuous cropping to cotton has been brought up in fertility to 
where it is producing larger yields and greater profits, than ever 
before. The value of the crops is being recognized more and more 
and the acreage is being increased considerably each year. 

In the improvement and progress of agriculture, Clemson Col¬ 
lege and the United States Department of Agriculture through 
their specialists and county agents, greatly aided by the local 
papers and farm journals, have played a most important part. The 
farmers have faith in the agricultural agencies and are availing 
themselves of their services as never before. 

Home Demonstration Work 

There are four Home Demonstration Clubs of women in the 
county, these being at Townville, West Pelzer, Mayfield Neals’ 
Creek and Union. Townville has 60 members, West Pelzer 18, 
Neals’ Creek 21, and Union 28. All of the clubs have monthly 
meetings. These clubs are all well organized and doing good 
work. At each meeting some phase of home demonstration work, 
such as canning, poultry, gardening or home improvement, is taken 
up. These clubs form the County Council of Farm Women. 

There are organized cooking clubs for girls at Shiloh, with 15 
members; Hammond, with 12 members; and White Plains, with 
11 members. 

Sewing seems to have been the most popular, work among the 
club girls. There are twelve organized sewing clubs in the county. 
These are: Piercetown, with 12 members; Long Branch, with 12 
members; Airy Springs, with 14 members; Union, with 17 mem¬ 
bers; Belton, with 9 members; White Plains, with 13 members; 
Rock Hill, with 16 members; Flat Rock, with 15 members; Wel¬ 
come, with 11 members; Lebanon, with 17 members; Broadway, 
with 12 members; and Iva, with 30 members. 

There are also quite a number of boys and girls doing poultry 
work under the instruction of the Home Demonstration Agent. 
There are, however, no organized poultry clubs in the county at 
present. 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 109 


These clubs are all doing excellent work. A large per cent of 
the members have received certificates showing that they have 
completed the year’s work and will be ready to take up another 
course of home demonstration work for another year. 

The club work for girls is divided into a four year course: First, 
canning and gardening; second, cooking; third, sewing; and fourth, 
the Home Maker’s course. 

The work being done by the Home Demonstration Department 
in Anderson County has been of great benefit to the women and 
girls in the rural communities of the county. 

There is also a well organized club market in Anderson where 
the farm women and girls can sell their fruits, vegetables and 
dairy and poultry products to the best advantage. This market 
has been organized for only a short time, but the progress made 
in that time has been very encouraging. 

Cooperative Marketing 

Marketing of farm products has long been a problem with the 
farmers of Anderson County along with other counties. Many 
local associations have been organized for the buying of fertilizer 
and other farm supplies and the selling of cotton and other farm 
products. Many of the associations have met with temporary suc¬ 
cess, but were soon discontinued because of their inability to meet 
larger and stronger competition from other quarters. Not until 
the cotton growers of the South formed a cooperative marketing 
association were their highest hopes realized. For many years 
local markets for cotton and other farm crops were unsatisfactory. 
Dumping the larger part of the crop on the market during a short 
period of time resulted in glutted markets and the reduction of 
prices. The farmers were helpless in the hands of the buyer who 
did the grading and pricing of cotton, but with the coming of co¬ 
operative marketing of cotton this has been largely changed. 

Anderson County took a leading part in the organization of co¬ 
operative marketing of cotton in South Carolina. About 20,000 
bales of cotton were signed up by almost 1,000 farmers during the 
year of 1922. The delivery of cotton on these contracts has been 
good. For the first time in the history of the county the farmers 
have marketed their cotton in an orderly manner and over a long 
period of time, properly graded and warehoused. This has been 
a revelation to the members of the association. It has resulted 
in their securing a higher price for their products and has taught 
them the value of properly grading and caring for the raw material, 
as well as the superior value of some varieties of cotton over others. 
So outstanding is the result of this first year’s experiment that 


110 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


many more farmers are joining and will continue to join during 
the coming season. Farmers who are not members of the asso¬ 
ciation advance the opinion that the association’s influence on the 
general and local market has resulted in their receiving a higher 
price for their cotton than they would have received had there 
been no association and all of the crop dumped on the market as 
had been the custom. 

Nothing succeeds like success. The result of this year’s success 
of the association is converting many to the principles of cooper¬ 
ative marketing. In due time they will add their endorsement 
and support to this work. 

Members of the association and non-members alike proclaim 
cooperative marketing of cotton in Anderson County and South 
Carolina a success. 

The Anderson Agricultural Fair 

The Anderson Agricultural Fair, representing Anderson, Abbe¬ 
ville, Oconee and Pickens counties of South Carolina as well as 
Ebbert and Hart counties of Georgia, held its second annual ex¬ 
hibition in November of 1922. This Fair was unique in two dis¬ 
tinct ways; in that no admission was charged to the first annual 
exhibition, and secondly, that the attendance not only surpassed 
every other fair in the State in 1921, but compared favorably in 
this respect with the State fairs throughout the Southeast. The 
secret of the success of any fair, and the Anderson fair is no ex¬ 
ception, is in the concerted action or the cooperation of the people 
residing in the counties represented. Premiums to the extent of 
approximately $2,000 were offered on agricultural products and 
while primarily the fair is agricultural, an automobile show, as well 
as a merchants’ and manufacturers’ department, was featured. At 
the 1922 Fair, or the second annual exhibition, there were more 
than 600 individual exhibits of agricultural products, which pre¬ 
sented on exhibition approximately 3,000 articles. In vfew of the 
fact that Anderson County is the richest county agriculturally in 
the entire Southeast, according to the United States Department 
of Commerce, it is no surprise that the Anderson Fair is one of 
the most successful fairs in the Southeast. 

The attendance for the two years the Fair has been operating 
will reach figures approximating 200,000 people. 

Good Roads and Transportation 

On June 1, 1919, the Anderson County Highway Commisson was 
organized. The first bond issue for the construction of good roads 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 111 


was in the sum of $1,450,000 and a later issue was for $325,000. 
The first contract was let on October 7, 1919, and the first con¬ 
struction work began a few weeks later. 

The construction of 240 miles of top-soil and hard surface roads 
was planned, and of the. mileage, all has been completed except a 
stretch of about 11 miles, this being under construction at present. 
On all principal roads leading out of the city of Anderson, from 
three-fourths of a mile to two miles of hard surface road was 
constructed connecting with the hard surface streets of the city. 
This amounts to about eight and one-fourth miles, the remainder 
of the 240 miles constructed by the county being top-soil. The 
county received Federal aid on about fifty-six miles of the system 
and with the amount spent by the county and the Federal aid re¬ 
ceived, the expenditure for these roads, when all are completed, 
will be approximately $2,000,000. 

Ten concrete bridges have been completed with one other to 
be constructed on the system of roads. The amount spent for 
these bridges will be approximately $250,000. 

The county authorities, in cooperation with the State Highway 
Department, have inaugurated a system of maintenance that will 
care for all improved roads. The funds which are included in the 
State highway system are secured from automobile license fees, 
while those for maintaining the roads of the regular county system 
are secured from the gasoline tax fund. 

This system is laid out so that Anderson is the hub, and from 
Anderson there are roads leading to all the county seats of the 
adjoining counties. These counties are Abbeville, Laurens, Green¬ 
ville, Pickens, and Oconee, of South Carolina, and Hart County, 
Georgia, with the roads connecting with the road from Franklin 
and Elberton counties, Georgia. The towns of Anderson County 
that have been connected with the city of Anderson by these roads 
are Iva, Starr, Pendleton, Belton, Honea Path, Williamston, Pel- 
zer, Piedmont, Clemson College, Denver, Sandy Springs and Town- 
ville. One of our roads connects with what is known as the Bank- 
head Highway at Alford’s Bridge at the Georgia state line, and 
another reaches to Dunham Bridge, within five miles.of the city 
of Greenville. 

The benefits derived from the excellent system of roads are num¬ 
erous. One of the first things that could be mentioned is the sav¬ 
ing in the cost of travel by decreasing the wear and tear on all 
vehicles. They have increased the value of farm property, not 
only that on the roads but that all over the county. These roads 
made possible the great success of the Anderson Agricultural Fair 

by making it easy for people all over the county and the adjoin- 


112 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 


ing counties to attend. They have opened up to Anderson all the 
surrounding country, not only of Anderson County, but all over 
the northwestern part of the State and parts of Georgia, and the 
trading population of Anderson has increased within the last few 
years from less than 50,000 to approximately 200,000. This will 
be a great benefit both to the people of Anderson and the sur¬ 
rounding country. 

Besides the economic gains that the county has received from 
the roads, the social advantages are numerous. Schools and 
churches will be more accessible. The town and country will be 
brought into closer relationship and the many social advantages 
furnished by the city of Anderson will be for the people of the 
county as well as the people of the city. And above all a spirit of 
fellowship will develop all over the county. 

Although Anderson does not have the main line of a railroad, 
it has two branch lines of steam roads and an electric road. The 
Blue Ridge connects with the Southern Railway from Greenville 
to Columbia at Belton and the Southern Railway from Greenville to 
Atlanta at Seneca. The branch of the Charleston and Western Car¬ 
olina connects with the main line of the Charleston and Western 
Carolina at Calhoun Falls. The Piedmont and Northern, an electric 
interurban line, connects Anderson with Greenville, Spartanburg 
and Greenwood. These three roads give very good passenger and 
freight service. 

There are also several bus lines connecting Anderson with the 
neighboring towns. There is one that operates on a regular 
schedule from Anderson to Hartwell, and another that operates, 
also on a regular schedule, from Anderson to Seneca. The cyclone 
trucks operate between Greenville and Anderson, stopping at all 
toWns between for freight service. 


Where Anderson County Leads 

There are forty-six counties in South Carolina and it is consid¬ 
ered conservative to call Anderson County a leader when its rank 
is 15 or below in comparison with the other counties of the State. 
When not otherwise stated these figures are for 1920. 


Rank: 

5th—In population per square mile .....--- 100.7 

2nd—In rural population per square mile _ 86.8 

5th—In total population ______ 76,349 

8th—In per cent of population that is white_ 65.5 

5th—In total wealth, 1920 ....$88,761,640 











Anderson County: Economic and Social 113 


4th—In per capita wealth _ $1,162.44 

1st—In total farm wealth . .$61,635,823 

4th—In per capita farm wealth .. $807.28 

2nd—In 1920 registration of automobiles and trucks._ 6,086 

2nd—In number of inhabitants per automobile _ 12.5 

10th—In per cent of quota subscribed in Liberty Loans 107 

6th—In bank savings deposits, 1919 _ $1,651,191 

12th—In bank savings per capita, 1919 _ $22 

4th—In bank surplus funds, 1919 . $686,387 

6th—In bank surplus per capita, 1919 _ $9 

5th—In total banking resources, 1919 .^...$15,964,641 

11th—In resources per capita, 1919 ___ $209 

4th—In total loans and discounts, 1919 ....$11,168,259 

5th—In loans and discounts per capita, 1919. $148 

5th—In capital stock _ $1,059,400 

1st—In total number of farms _ 8,910 

2nd—In per cent of land improved _ 66.7 

1st—In amount spent for implements and machinery 

on improved land per acre _ $11.69 

2nd—In cotton production in bales, 1921 _ 63,000 

2nd—In value of non-food crops . .$17,992,839 

12th—In hay and forage production in number of tons 11,444 

2nd—In corn production in bushels, 1920 census_ 1,240,344 

3rd—In per cent increase in corn production, 1910-1920 87 

1st—In number of bushels increase in corn, 1910-1920 577,080 

10th—In corn production in bushels per acre _ 19.1 

6th—In bushels of wheat raised per capita - 0.6 

14th—In per cent increase in farm wealth - 154.2 

3rd—In per cent of farms owned by whites _ 97 

15th—In number of pounds of poultry per person - 10.1 

7th—In butter production per person - 16.6 

2nd—In value of livestock products per person-- $21.03 

1st—In per cent increase in hogs, 1910-1920-,- 276 

10th—In per cent increase in poultry of all kinds- 61.5 

2nd—In value of all domestic animals on farms. $3,833,405 

3rd—In honey produced (pounds) - 39,520 

1st—In value of dairy products - $777,496 

1st—In value of chickens and eggs produced - $727,966 

3rd—In number of textile establishments - 19 

3rd—In capital invested in textile industries .$16,570,494 

3rd—In value of annual production in textile indu¬ 
stries .$32,770,924 

3rd—In receipts from State appropriations for schools 

in 1920 ___ $43,025.75 













































114 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


6th—In number of school districts _;_ 71 

6th—In number of school districts levying special tax 70 

13th—In average length of session in days for white 

town schools _ 175 

13th—In average length of session in days for white 

country schools _ 133 

4th—In total value of all school property_ $1,079,302 

5th—In total illiteracy _ 12.8 

Pickens County leads with 10.7; Berkeley County 
comes last with 38.4. 

13th—In area in square miles ___ 758 

13th—In tax rate per $100 assessed valuation. $3.10 

10th—In average property tax rate in county (mills)...... 31 

11th—In per cent increase in taxable property, 1910-1920 73 















XI. 


OUR PROBLEMS AND THEIR SOLUTION 


Olin D. Johnston. 


By comparison and statement in the preceding chapters, we have 
the leadership and numerous advantages which Anderson County 
holds over other counties of this State. Of these we are justly 
proud. But feeling that it would be.a gross injustice to point out 
the good traits, and not the bad as well, it is the purpose of this 
chapter to show the most important needs and defects in the 
social and economic life of the county, as they appear to us, and 
also to discuss and explain briefly these shortcomings to the best 
of our ability and knowledge. 

Anderson County stands in many ways among the leading coun¬ 
ties of the South, and in other ways she falls to the very bottom 
of the list. If there were no deficiencies it would be useless to 
publish this bulletin, for the real purpose of this study is to let 
the people of Anderson County know exactly where we stand, 
and if we have faults and defects it is our purpose to either give 
a solution or try to awaken the thinking people of the county to 
their duty. 

There are conditions in Anderson County which are hindering 
progress, stopping development of every nature, and gradually 
bringing about a dissatisfied feeling among its citizens. It is plain¬ 
ly evident that we have many problems before us to solve, and to 
be victorious means the cooperation of every person in the county. 
Without this spirit we cannot succeed. So, fellow citizens, rally 
together as one organized body and rid your county of her back¬ 
ward conditions. 

Illiteracy 

The total illiteracy of Anderson County in 1920, was 12.8 per 
cent. Pickens County was first with 10.7 per cent; Berkeley Coun¬ 
ty was last with 38.4 per cent. The State average was 18.1 per 
cent. As will be seen from the figures, Anderson County was far 
above the average of the State in literacy. Illiteracy signifies a 
person ten years old or older who is not able to write in any 
language. 




116 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


The white illiteracy in Anderson County in 1920, was 7.4 per cent, 
which gave Anderson County thirty-third place in the State. In 
1920 Cherokee, Chesterfield, Dillon, and Horry counties were the 
only counties that had over 10 per cent of their white population 
that were illiterates. This is a decided decrease, for in 1910 there 
were 19 counties in the State that had a greater percentage than 
10 per cent; Anderson was one of the 19 counties. There is no 
excuse for Anderson County’s ranking thirty-third in native white 
illiteracy. We have made a great stride forward in lowering our 
illiteracy percentage during the last decade, but there is still much 
room for further improvement. One of the best ways to rid our 
white population of illiteracy is for every person in the county to 
make it their duty to see that the compulsory education law is 
strictly enforced. But if we should strictly enforce the compul¬ 
sory education law it would be many years before illiteracy would 
be eradicated, for there are many adults in our county that can 
not read or write any language. What are we doing and what 
are we going to do to help them? Anderson County has adult 
schools which are conducted at night and in the day time during 
the summer months. The taxpayers are only too willing to sup¬ 
port this work, because; first, they realize it is their duty; second, 
they realize that it will mean a great help to the county from a 
financial standpoint if every illiterate was taught to read and write. 
It has been estimated that every day spent in school pays the child 
nine dollars. Of course the few weeks that an adult spends learn¬ 
ing to read and write could not be valued in dollars and cents, 
but should you try to estimate it the results would be many times 
the value of the estimate for the child. Now, as a development of 
our present system, there should be established continuation 
schools in connection with the regular day system. If every school 
official would cooperate with the County Superintendent of Edu¬ 
cation it would be only a few years until illiteracy would be wiped 
from Anderson County. 

From statistics it is found that illiteracy is greater in rural sec¬ 
tions than in urban. This is due to the fact that it is very hard 
to get the adults in the rural districts to attend adults’ schools. 
One reason is that the population is so scattered. By taking the 
urban and rural districts as a whole the response of these hungry 
and neglected folks has been inspiring. Scores and even hundreds 
have learned the elements of reading and writing the mother 
tongue. The people of Anderson County will do humanity a great 
service if they will see that each one of these illiterates has an 
opportunity to attend one of these adult schools. 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 117 


Idle Lands 

All lands that are not under cultivation, not devoted to pasturage, 
and not bearing mature or good growing timber are classed as idle 
lands. In 1920, 19.2 per cent of the total acres of land in Anderson 
County were idle, which means that of 19.2 per cent of the total 
amount of acres that taxes were paid on in 1920 in our county 
there were no return benefits therefrom. 

Anderson County ranked thirteenth in the State, in 1920, in total 
land area with about 425,000 acres, and ranked twenty-fifth in idle 
lands with 81,838 acres. Berkeley County was first in total land 
area with about 675,000 acres, and ranked twelfth in idle lands with 
120,261 acres. Cherokee County was last in total land area with 
about 200,000 acres, and ranked thirty-third in idle lands with 43,- 
324 acres. 

Anderson County has 81,838 acres of idle lands, which is sufficient 
to accommodate 5,456 more new settlers. It has been estimated 
that 75 acres make a farm for a family of five, so at this ratio 
Anderson County has sufficient idle lands to accommodate 1,091 
more families, or 5,456 more new settlers. But where are these 
new settlers to come from? In many places in the United States 
settlers have been imported to help develop the idle lands, but in 
almost every instance, this method of utilizing the idle lands has 
proven an absolute failure, for in almost every instance the kind 
of immigrant that migrates is the undesirable. Anderson County 
is not facing a great crisis in needing 5,456 new settlers to culti¬ 
vate her idle lands, but if she will only make plans to keep her 
negro population from migrating north during the next few years, 
she will be able to cultivate most of her idle lands. One of An¬ 
derson County’s greatest problems during the next few years will 
be keeping our negro population from migrating, for the boll weevil 
in almost every district it has entered has driven the negro out. 

How are we going to utilize our idle lands? There are several 
ways by which we might be able to work our idle lands and make 
them an asset instead of a liability. Some of the ways are: (1) 
The reduction of tenancy would reduce idle lands; (Zy the use of 
improved farm machinery would make each farmer able to culti¬ 
vate more acres, thereby reducing the idle lands; (3) the study of 
forestry by the farmers would enable them to know what land to 
use for the growth of timber, in this manner reducing their idle 
lands; (4) the raising of more livestock would make it possible 
for many acres of idle lands to be used as pasture lands. These 
four ways of reducing the idle lands in our county are not the only 
ways, but it is plainly evident that they are good ways to solve 
the problem and, at the same time, elevate our citizenship. Now, 


118 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


the natural increase in population will in a very few years supply 
Anderson County with the needed new settlers, in all probability; 
but, in case it does not, it should not be a great problem for An¬ 
derson County to induce Americans from less fertile sections to 
come to Anderson and locate. 

Cooperative Marketing 

One of the greatest problems that the farmer has today is selling 
his surplus products at a fair price. At the present there are only 
three ways open to the farmer to dispose of these products: (1) 
Sell as he has been doing, that is, by peddling on the street or 
shipping on consignment; (2) going into business; (3) organizing 
and securing legal pledges from other producers, that the controll¬ 
ing percentage of the crop will be sold as business and conditions 
may require. 

It is needless to say that where the farmer depends on selling his 
surplus products by peddling on the streets or shipping on con¬ 
signment, he is liable to have to sell his products under the mar¬ 
ket value, or have them left on his hands to spoil. It is often the 
case that farmers are begging the people to buy their products 
in one town at any price, while in an adjoining city or town the 
people are begging for the same products and cannot get them. 
If the farmers had cooperative marketing this state of affairs would 
be somewhat relieved. 

Some of the Southern States that have cooperative marketing 
are: Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Texas, and North 
Carolina. Every one of these states that has tried cooperative 
marketing has found it a great benefit to their farmers. Califor¬ 
nia was one of the first states to recognize and take advantage of 
cooperative marketing on a large scale, and during the year of 
1919 approximately two hundred and ninety-seven million dollars 
worth of products were sent out of California cooperatively. 

The farmers of this State are beginning to be permeated with 
the spirit of cooperation. The reason the farmers of this State 
are willing to try cooperative marketing today is because the boll 
weevil has brought about a great catastrophe. They never would 
have been willing to cooperate in times of prosperity. But finding 
themselves facing a great crisis, they are willing to cooperate. If 
it is advisable to cooperate in time of distress would it not be much 
more advisable in time of prosperity? Yes, the farmers would 
derive a much greater benefit in time of prosperity by cooperative 
marketing. 

Some of the advantages to be derived by cooperative marketing 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 119 


are: (1) It would help the ordinary farmers to help themselves; 
(2) it would reduce expenses by bringing producer and consumer 
nearer together, giving the farmer a fair profit, while furnishing 
the latter products at a reasonable price; (3) it would enable 
many farmers to get out of debt and keep out of debt; (5) it would 
enable the farmers to govern and divide their earnings instead of 
having capital rule industry and absorb the profits; (6) it would 
promote thrift, sobriety, morality, neighborliness, kindness, intelli¬ 
gence, self-thinking and good citizenship. 

The farmers of South Carolina have lost many millions of 
dollars as a result of not having an efficient cooperative marketing 
system. Therefore, it is time that our State was making some 
preparation towards establishing with an increasing number of 
crops cooperative marketing systems to protect our farmers. 

Farm Wealth 

According to the 1920 Census report, Anderson County’s farm 
wealth was $61,635,823. The per capita country wealth was $937.01, 
which gave Anderson County the rank of fourth place in the State. 
Marlboro was first with a per capita of $1,129.63; Charleston was 
last with $289.59 per capita. From many standpoints, Anderson 
County is one of the leading agricultural counties of South Caro¬ 
lina. 

During the last decade the farm wealth of Anderson County has 
increased almost beyond comprehension. Between 1900 and 1920, 
the expenditure for farm implements increased 854 per cent; the 
value of farm buildings increased 688 per cent; and the value of 
farm lands increased 584 per cent. The total value of all farm 
property increased from $8,953,545, in 1900, to $61,635,823, in 1920, 
which was an increase of 586 per cent. From these figures on the 
wealth of Anderson County it would seem that all of the farmers 
of the county must be living in the very realm of prosperity, but 
such is not the case. How is it that our farmers are relatively 
poor, and, at the same time, possess all of this enormous wealth? 
One reason is that Anderson County has been neglecting to raise 
a sufficient amount of food and feed supplies to supply her own 
demands. Why, in 1920, 60 per cent cent of the food and feed 
supplies used in Anderson County were imported. This necess¬ 
arily called for money to be sent out of the county to pay for 
commodities that easily could have been raised at home at a profit. 
There is no use in trying to tell the farmers what they should 
raise as long as they are so carried away with King Cotton, but 
there is one thing certain—our farmers will remain enslaved as 


120 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


long as they depend on the outside world to feed them. The old 
maxim, “the farmer is the man that feeds us all,” is true in Ander¬ 
son County, but where does the farmer live? He does not live in 
Anderson County, and in most instances he does not live in South 
Carolina. 

Anderson County ranked thirtieth in the number of bushels of 
corn raised per capita in 1920, with 16.2 bushels. Calhoun led with 
31.8 bushels per capita; Charleston was last with 4.2 bushels per 
capita. Anderson County ranked third in increase in corn pro¬ 
duction from 1910-1920, with 577,070 bushels, or an 87 per cent in¬ 
crease. Still there was a deficit of 1,127,445 bushels needed to 
supply the demands of the county. Anderson County raised 
45,600 bushels of wheat in 1920. The county needed 308,152 bush¬ 
els to supply the demands of the county. There was a deficit in 
the county of 262,552 bushels, or about 85 per cent. It will mean 
a salvation to our farmers when they realize that is is to their ad¬ 
vantage to raise all their food and feed supplies; for, we have a 
soil and seasons in Anderson County that are suitable for the 
growth of almost all food crops. Why, Anderson County at one 
time grew rice at a profit. Further, it is needless to say that every 
farmer in the county could raise all of his livestock at home, and 
could do it at a profit. 

The time has come when the farmers of Anderson County can 
no longer depend upon the production of cotton alone, but they 
must raise everything needed to supply their family needs. The 
conditions of the present time call for diversity of farming as never 
before. Farmers, obey the call if you wish to live and prosper. 
The day of “King Cotton” exclusively has about played out in An¬ 
derson County, or at least it has about reached the point where 
it is nothing but a gamble to raise it except as a surplus cash crop. 
Therefore, try diversification in farming if you want to play on the 
safe side and at the same time to be a farmer in the true sense. 

Farm Tenancy 

Farm tenancy in Anderson County has been steadily on the in¬ 
crease during the past four decades. This is a very discouraging 
plight to be found in, for farm tenancy carries with it many dead¬ 
ening influences. One is the tendency for the tenant to move from 
place to place. It has been estimated that the tenant remains on 
the same farm on an average only two years, or about one-sixth 
as long as the owning farmer. Consequently, he often manifests 
little interest in improvements of the farm or the progress of the 
community. Little effort is made to maintain the fertility of the 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 121 


soil and to make farm life attractive. Further, it is difficult to try 
to describe the conditions under which some tenant farmers live. 

Now, with 72.7 per cent of the farms in our county operated by 
tenants, who are moving from farm to farm every few.years, with¬ 
out fixity of purpose and an interest in the community life, we can 
not hope for stability and solidarity in our citizenship. If Ander¬ 
son County wishes to rise from her degrading state of tenancy 
she must devise and perfect plans which will make the road to 
farm ownership smooth. The Federal Lank Bank tries to relieve 
the situation. 

The Federal Land Bank loaned during the period from Novem¬ 
ber 20, 1918, to November 20, 1919, $251,426,600 to the farmers of 
the United States; 13 per cent of which was for the purchase of 
land; 28 per cent was used for different things that go to improve 
farming conditions and 59 per cent for the purpose of liquidation 
of existing mortgages. The lowest proportion of borrowing for 
the purchase of land of any state in the Union was in South Caro¬ 
lina, where it was only 4 per cent. South Carolina borrowed dur¬ 
ing that year $4,697,990, of which only $187,920 was used for the 
purchase of land. This fact indicates that the Federal Land Bank 
is failing to benefit the tenant to the extent that some thought it 
probably would. However, it must be confessed that the fault 
lies not entirely in the bank, but to a large extent it is in the econ¬ 
omic and social conditions under which the tenants live. 

It is a well known fact that a certain number of tenants will 
always exist. Therefore, the following are some things that should 
be encouraged in order to better tenant farming conditions: (1) 
Tenants should be compensated by landlords for improvements 
made on farms; (2) longer leases should be encouraged; and (3) 
“absentee landlordism” reduced to a minimum. It will be noticed 
that these three ways of improving tenant farming conditions are 
incumbent upon our landlords. If all these were done to perfec¬ 
tion, it would not obviate the necessity of taking steps to retard 
and ’discourage tenancy. For this reason every white farmer in 
our county must be given an opportunity to own a farm, if we ex¬ 
pect to develop our resources at the maximum rate. It would be 
better socially, economically and politically to eradicate white ten¬ 
ancy in Anderson County. 


Education 

One of the greatest problems of today is educating the masses. 
It is easy enough to educate a part, but when you undertake to 
educate the entire population of a county or state you have a diffi- 


122 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


cult proposition to handle. The following problems must be 
solved before education can be handled successfully: (1) You 
must have finances; (2) the public must realize that education 
pays; (3) the teachers must be efficient; (4) the compulsory edu¬ 
cation law must be enforced; and (5) consolidation must be en¬ 
couraged, especially in rural districts, for there is where illiteracy 
lives longest. 

The problem of financing our educational system is one of the 
most delicate problems we are facing at the present. It is true 
most of the people favor improving our educational system. But 
it seems that we have been sorely in need of leaders who are will¬ 
ing to push across a great financial program. The members of 
the General Assembly have greatly retarded the progress of edu¬ 
cation by cutting on the appropriations for education, or rather 
reducing the estimate as submitted by the State Superintendent. 
A specific instance is what was done in 1921; the State Superin¬ 
tendent recommended the legislature to appropriate $520,000 for 
one item of expenditure in the school year 1921-1922. The legis¬ 
lature reduced this estimate by $150,000. Further, districts qual¬ 
ifying for a seven months term were entitled to $475,962 in the 
school year 1921-1922. Why is it our representatives fail to ap¬ 
propriate for education? It is because they fear the vote of the 
public, or is it because they want to reduce taxes and do not see 
other items that will cut the appropriation bill more than $150,000 
from the educational appropriation. 

It is a fact, well known, that if the finances connot be obtained 
our schools will remain in the backward condition they are in at 
the present. It is a shame that South Carolina does not stand 
out as one of the foremost states in the Union in reference to 
education. She could if sufficient funds were given; for we have 
not a large foreign element in our State to handicap us. 

The public in recent years has realized the benefits of an edu¬ 
cation, for there are very few people today who will argue that 
an education does not pay. Therefore, every citizen of Anderson 
County should impress it upon their representative^ not to cut 
down the appropriations for educational purposes, for if we cripple 
our school system we are crippled socially, economically and 
politically. 


Livestock 

Anderson County has made decided progress in livestock raisr 
ing during the last decade. Anderson County ranked second in 
the State in the value of livestock raised per capita in 1920 with 
$21.03. Edgefield led with $22.06; Charleston was last with $1.71 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 123 


per capita. Anderson County ranked first in the State in the per¬ 
centage increase in hogs raised between 1910-1920, with 276 per 
cent. Spartanburg was second with 204 per cent; Hampton was 
last with 49 per cent decrease. Anderson County ranked tenth 
in the State in the percentage increase of poultry of all kinds from 
1910 to 1920 with 61.5 per cent. Charleston led with 97.4 per cent; 
Berkeley was last with 60.8 per cent decrease. From these 
figures it looks like Anderson County has at last realized she can 
raise her livestock at home. But still Anderson imports far more 
livestock than she exports. There is no excuse for this being the 
case, for Anderson County can raise all her livestock at home at 
a profit. This is especially true as lo poultry and swine for they 
can in considerable measure be fed on the waste that naturally 
accumulates around a farm. 

Anderson County has always fallen far short in raising a suffici¬ 
ent number of horses and mules to supply the demands of the 
county. There has been fixed in the minds of most of the farmers 
that it is more economical to have their horses and mules im¬ 
ported than it would be to raise them at home. This is a false 
impression. It would lower the price if more of our farmers would 
raise their horses and mules at home. It behooves the farmers 
to raise all the livestock at home possible. When they do this 
they will be farmers in the true sense of the word. But as long 
as our farmers buy the greater part of their livestock outside of 
the county they will remain in a semi-state of servitude. The 
words of Henry W. Grady give a solution of our farm problems 
today: “When every farmer shall eat bread from his own fields 
and meat from his own pasture and disturbed by no conditions 
and enslaved by no debt, shall, amid his teeming orchards and 
vineyards, dairies and barns, pick his own crops in his own wis¬ 
dom and grow them in independence, making cotton and tobacco 
a clean surplus, and selling these in his own time and in his own 
chosen market and not at a master’s bidding, getting pay in cash 
and not in a receipted mortgage that discharges his debt but does 
not restore his freedom, then and not until then, shall be the 
breaking of the fullness of a new day.” 

Anderson County has not reached this point, for in the year 
1920 it produced only 43 per cent of the amount of food and feed 
needed to meet the demands of her population. There is no ex¬ 
cuse for this shortage of 57 per cent. Anderson, produce enough 
food and feed commodities to supply your own demands, and be 
independent. 

Roads 

It is needless to spend time in explaining the benefits derived 


124 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


from good roads; also, it is absurd to offer argument in support 
of them, because the average intelligent citizen nowadays has a 
clear conception of the value and benefits from good roads. 

In 1922 Anderson County had an approximate road mileage of 
3,500, with only 255 miles of improved roads, and only 8.4 miles 
of hard surface roads. This fact seems almost unbelievable, but 
it is a great improvement over 1916, for then the improved road 
mileage was very small compared with what it is now, and there 
were no hard surface roads at all. The 255 miles of improved 
roads that we have in Anderson County have already rendered a 
great service to the county, for it.forms a net-work by which you 
can travel on these good roads to almost any place in the county. 
From an economic standpoint these good roads are saving the 
citizens of Anderson County thousands of dollars every year. A 
few figures suffice to illustrate. The United States Department 
of Agriculture estimates the cost of hauling a bale of cotton to 
market to be eight cents, over unimproved roads. The conserva¬ 
tive estimate of forty per cent has been made as to reduction in 
costs over improved roads. 

It has been conservatively estimated that improved roads in 
Anderson County would save the farmers $100,000 in the trans¬ 
portation of their fertilizer, cotton, and cotton seed annually. 
What is true of fertilizer, cotton, and cotton seed may be applied 
to nearly all kinds of rural transportation. 

The benefits to be derived from improved roads are: (1) Draw¬ 
ing together of neighbors and the development of community life; 
(2) the enhancement of real estate values; (3) the elimination of 
the isolated farm house; (4) greater intercourse between town and 
country (5) development of back country; (6) diversified farming 
encouraged because of more favorable marketing; (7) better rural 
mail delivery; and (8) added advantages of improvement in rural 
schools—all of which would be of distinct economic value. 

We need good roads. Let’s get them. 

Tax Reform 

Taxation is a state-wide problem and its solution must be state¬ 
wide. No subject in the field of taxation involves more difficulties 

and perplexities than the taxation of land, because the taxation 
of land has become quite as much a social problem as a fiscal 
measure. This renders it more difficult to treat the subject of 
tax reform. 

Our present method of taxation is inadequate to meet the in- 


Anderson County : Economic and Social 125 


creased needs of the State. There are several reasons why it is 
inadequate, but the chief trouble is in the returning of property 
for taxation. We should get all property on the tax books, espec¬ 
ially all escaping visible property. There is much to be done in this 
field as has been proven by the survey made in Spartanburg and Co¬ 
lumbia. It would relieve the burden somewhat if we could get all 
visible property on the tax books. The fact that all of this prop¬ 
erty escapes taxation makes our state and county mill levy higher. 

It is misleading to try to compare our taxes with taxes in other 
states on the basis of the mill levy alone. The following is an 
example: In Ohio property is returned at 100 per cent; in South 
Dakota at 75 per cent; in Louisiana, at 50 per cent; and, as has been 
stated, in South Carolina at 25 per cent. Thus a 3 mill levy in 
Ohio is exactly equivalent to a 4 mill levy in South Dakota, a 6 
mill levy in Louisiana, and a 12 mill levy in South Carolina. Tell 
a man in Ohio or South Dakota that our State levy is 12 mills, and 
that in some counties the total levy of city, county, and State runs 
up to 70.8 and even 90 mills, and he would rather locate his farm 
or factory in the infernal regions than in South Carolina. 

The trouble is that. it is too easy to evade the tax law as 
it stands. Real estate bears the burden, for it is hard to 
prevent its being placed upon our tax books. But what of the 
man whose property consists of stocks and bonds and intangible 
forms of wealth who can escape taxation by the simple method 
of forgetting he owns it when the time for property returns rolls 
around? Surely, there is no justice in having a tax system which 
makes the landowner foot the bills and allows others, and a vast 
number there are, to enjoy the advantages and protection of our 
government free of charge! 

My first recommendation is that the land should be used chiefly 
as a source of local revenue, that is county revenue. Land is of 
such a nature that it can be best handled in comparatively small 
units, and moreover land is most affected by local conditions. By 
this system the different counties would take more pride in their 
particular counties. Still, I think we should have a state central 
taxing authority, that is, a modern tax commission. If this was 
done the general property tax problem would be localized and 
probably each county could work out some solution for its own 
particular county. Each county has problems that other counties 
may not have. Today, the different counties of the State vie with 
each other to see which can get its property returned at the low¬ 
est figure in order to reduce the amount of taxes that the county 
will have to pay to the State. Not only is this fact known to the 
county taxing authorities but they give their sanction to it. This 


126 Anderson County: Economic and Social 


is why our mill levy is so high. Low assessed value means a high 
mill levy. 

A tax reform is needed, and needed badly, in South Carolina, 
but until the constitutional restrictions on its power to act are re¬ 
moved the General Assembly can do nothing toward working out 
a sound and permanent solution of this serious problem that con¬ 
fronts the State. 

The remedy lies in the adoption of the program for tax reform 
as outlined by the Joint Special Committee on Revenue and Tax¬ 
ation appointed by the General Assembly of 1920. This program 
follows with the years moved up to apply to the next few years. 

1. The adoption by the General Assembly of 1924 of a Joint 
Resolution submitting to the electors of the State amendments 
to the present Constitution which would remove the general prop¬ 
erty tax limitations. 

2. The inauguration and prosecution of a state wide campaign 
of education and publicity to the end that the people of the State 
may be fully informed upon the subject of taxation and in posi¬ 
tion to pass intelligently upon the grave question before them. 

3. The adoption by the people at the general election of 1924 
of the constitutional amendments proposed by this General As¬ 
sembly. 

4. The passage by the General Assembly of 1925 of an act pro¬ 
viding the necessary special machinery for revaluing the property 
of the State at full value and for making an accurate survey and 
inventory of all other taxable resources of the State. 

5. Upon the basis of the accurate data and statistics so pro¬ 
cured the enactment by the General Assembly of 1926 of a com¬ 
pulsory revenue act combining into one harmonious whole a re¬ 
modeled property tax, the income tax, the business tax, and the 
inheritance tax. 

6. Let the revision provide for a method by which the failure 
to correctly return property will become impossible. 

7. There are still other means of raising revenue which are 

proving successful in other states, and which, of course, will re¬ 
ceive due consideration and study by our General Assembly before 
finally devising our own tax system. \ 

The adoption of such a program as the above would go far 
toward lifting a part of the burden of taxation from the farmers 
of Anderson County and of the State and placing it upon the prop¬ 
erty which is either very lightly taxed or escaping taxation en¬ 
tirely. Our representatives in the General Assembly should insist 
upon its adoption. 

During the last two sessions of the General Assembly much 


Anderson County: Economic and Social 127 


progress has been made in the direction of tax reform. New 
sources of revenue have been discovered in the income tax, the 
gasoline tax, the inheritance tax, and the corporations license tax 
enacted in 1922. The combined sales and luxury tax bill of 1923 
still further lessens the levy placed upon general property. The 
policy of the General Assembly in providing revenues for State 
purposes seems to be towards what is technically known as the 
plan of “separation.” This is discovering entirely different sources 
for state revenues, and leaving the general property tax for local 
county purposes. Such a plan is in operation in North Carolina, 
and quite satisfactorily, it would seem. 

However, if the escaping intangible property is ever going to 
be brought on the tax books, constitutional changes are going to 
have to be made that will permit a classification of property, in 
order that a different rate of levy may be placed upon each of 
these according to the principles of “benefits derived” and what 
“the traffic is able to bear.” 

There is an opportunity for constructive statesmanship in South 
Carolina along the lines of sound, sane, thorough-going tax re¬ 
form. There are signs that an increasing number of our men in 
public life are becoming seriously and intelligently aware of this 
opportunity and responsibility. 

















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